Thousands of drivers working for ride-hailing and meals supply app Bolt have gained a authorized declare to be classed as employees within the UK quite than self-employed.
The ruling means drivers could possibly be entitled to vacation pay and minimal wage, which attorneys stated may result in compensation price greater than £200m.
Bolt stated it was reviewing its choices, together with grounds for attraction.
It identified that the findings of the Employment Tribunal had been confined to drivers who weren’t on a number of ride-hailing apps.
About 10,000 present and former Bolt drivers took authorized motion towards the Estonian-headquartered agency at a London employment tribunal.
They argued they had been formally employees beneath British regulation.
Bolt stated it had “always supported” the “choice” of drivers “to remain self-employed independent contractors”.
But the tribunal discovered that “overwhelmingly, the power lies with Bolt”.
“There is nothing in the relationship which demands, or even suggests, agency” on the a part of the drivers, it stated.
The tribunal added that “the supposed contract between the Bolt driver and the passenger is a fiction designed by Bolt – and in particular its lawyers – to defeat the argument that it has an employer/worker relationship with the driver”.
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c7047kz0vr0o