Landmark hearing to determine Addison Lee drivers' worker status
By Law News
The drivers, represented by the law firm Leigh Day, seek recognition as workers, arguing that they should be entitled to worker rights and benefits rather than being classified as self-employed contractors.
A critical three-week hearing at Watford Employment Tribunal will begin Monday, 28 October, to determine whether approximately 700 Addison Lee drivers qualify as "workers," a designation that could entitle them to significant back-dated compensation, including holiday pay and lost earnings.
This hearing follows a 2017 Employment Tribunal ruling in which three Addison Lee drivers were classified as workers. Addison Lee's appeal of this decision was ultimately abandoned following a Supreme Court ruling in favor of Uber drivers in a comparable case. Though the company settled with the original three drivers earlier this year, it maintains that this precedent should not apply to the 700 other drivers now seeking worker status.
Liana Wood, an employment solicitor with Leigh Day, stated, “We hope to secure a positive outcome for Addison Lee drivers, many of whom have waited years for this decision. Workers deserve fair pay for their work with Addison Lee and others in the gig economy.”
If successful, the hearing could mean a substantial payout in backdated compensation for drivers with long tenures at Addison Lee.