Uber Eats slammed in the Federal Court; Uber Eats riders strike

Uber slammed in the Federal Court

A landmark case against Uber has settled after Federal Court judges savaged the company for the elaborate way it tries to deny any link to its workers.

The case was backed by the TWU and involved Adelaide-based Amita Gupta, sacked after she was 10 minutes late with a food delivery.

The Federal Court judges berated Uber during the hearing when the company refused to accept it had any relationship to its drivers. The company even stated that the link was so little that drivers could abandon or steal the food orders.

The judges questioned whether Uber was “operating in the real world” and stated that “everybody knows what function Uber plays”.

TWU National Secretary Michael Kaine said the Federal Court had exposed Uber’s sham.

“It should not take brave workers like Amita standing up to a global multi-national corporations to hold them to account.”

Read the full transcript and highlighted quotes.

In the media:

Uber Strike

Only weeks later Uber Eats riders protested at Parliament House to demand better rates and safer work. A number of other Uber Eats riders also joined the strike around the country.

The action follows a spate of deaths and further slashing of pay by the multi-billion dollar company.

The TWU is supporting the protest and the riders’ call for regulation of Uber and other food delivery companies.

“There is anger among food delivery riders that something has got to change. Three Uber Eats riders were killed over just a few weeks and yet Uber continues to push its workers to sweat and chase every dollar by slashing rates. Riders have no rights to a minimum rate, work injury insurance or safety gear. They work for hours in the dark, rain and extreme heat with cheap sub-standard helmets, no lights and brakes and gears that aren’t working properly. The jobs are unsafe and the system is unfair,” said TWU Assistant National Secretary Nick McIntosh.

“We support riders protesting and taking strike action against Uber. Politicians need to decide if they will stand with these workers or with multi-billion dollar company Uber,” he added.

Edoardo, one of the riders to protest, called for a “fair fare system”.

“We spend many hours on the road coping with heat, rain, cold and wind. Uber is exploiting us. The system is unfair and constantly worsens. We need transparency on our rates and we need proper safety equipment. It is time to raise our voices and take action,” he said.

The action also prompted music company Tone Deaf to remove an Uber promotion on their Facebook page.

In the media: