24-HOUR UBER STRIKE ACTION: The ADCU begins nationwide strike and London demonstration today
The App Drivers & Couriers Union (ADCU) have called for a 24-hour national strike for Uber drivers from midnight and lasting until 11.59pm Wednesday 22 June.
The Union say Uber drivers are facing an unprecedented cost of living crisis due to fuel inflation running at 44%, vehicle costs up 28% and household inflation up 7.8%.
The ADCU claim Uber has failed to either obey the Supreme Court ruling in full which would protect workers or otherwise raise fares and pay in line with inflation of operating costs.
In addition to the strike action, the ADCU will stage a protest demonstration in front of Uber’s offices at Aldgate Tower in London between 11am and 1pm on Wednesday 22 June.
The Union is asking for the cooperation of the travelling public to not cross the digital picket line and not to use the Uber app during the 24-hour strike period.
The union is demanding:
Uber comply with the Supreme Court ruling and pay drivers at least the minimum wage and holiday pay for all working time from log on to log off. Currently Uber is only prepared to pay the minimum wage after costs from the point of dispatch to drop off but not including standby time which is around 40% of working time. Uber has not adjusted the costs calculations used for calculation of the minimum wage despite runaway inflation for fuel and operating costs.
Uber must raise fares to £2.50 per mile and £0.20 per minute. Fares on Tuesday evening were being offered in central London at £1.06 per mile and £0.10 per minute. These are historically low fares.
Uber must end its practice of unfair dismissals. Drivers are often flagged for summary dismissal by automated means and are denied any proper due process of investigation, appeal or representation. This in turn can lead to licensing action by local licensing authorities and drivers having to explain why they were fired with Uber often failing to even disclose the reasons.
Uber must obey the UK GDPR and provide full algorithmic transparency, so drivers understand how they have been profiled, performance managed and on what basis they have been either allocated work or had it withheld.
Abdurzak Hadi, ADCU London Chair, said: “Uber drivers have never been worse off than they are right now. Drivers have been exposed to hyperinflation while Uber refuses to either obey the Supreme Court ruling which protects workers or raise fares and pay to offset inflation of their operating costs. This is beyond greed, Uber has placed its workforce in very dangerous circumstances and the result is driver over work, declining mental health and families in great distress. I implore the government to dismiss the Uber spin and urgently intervene to enforce the law against what is an increasingly out of control company."
