Uber under union fire for undermining worker rights

They demanded that governments uphold existing taxi regulations in the interests of passengers and workers.

The event on 19 April was chaired by Unite’s Mike Hedges, with panellists including ITF inland transport secretary Mac Urata; Frank Moreels, BTB Belgium president; Unifor Canada national president-secretary Peter Kennedy; and Karim Asnoune, CGT Paris taxi drivers’ representative.

Panellists explained how Uber circumvents regulations and why a level playing field was needed, where the same laws and regulations applied to all transport companies, including Uber. They said Uber drivers were forced to work long hours to cover petrol, fees and car payments, had no sick pay or pension benefits, and were dismissed without notice – and this was having negative knock-on effects on regulated jobs and passenger safety.

But they pointed to successful union campaigns alongside employers’ organisations and others, which had seen Uber services restricted or banned in some places, including Paris, Belgium and Reading in the UK.

The ITF’s executive board on 21/22 April adopted a resolution in support of protests against Uber by its taxi unions in Argentina and elsewhere. It calls on local and national governments to make a commitment to uphold, promote and improve existing taxi industry regulation, public safety laws and working standards for taxi drivers, so that all transport companies operate within the same legal and regulatory framework.

Mac Urata commented: “The ITF and its members are not opposed to innovation. Indeed, we believe innovation can only improve the taxi industry for drivers and passengers.

“What we oppose is the ‘Uber effect’ on working conditions – reversing core labour standards, the rights to collective action and a living wage, and contributing to the casualisation of the workforce.”

Read the ITF resolution in full in English or Spanish.