Taxi-app firm Uber has applied to the Supreme Court to appeal an Employment Appeal Tribunal (EAT) decision, effectively leapfrogging the Court of Appeal.
Earlier this month, the EAT found that the firm’s drivers were not self-employed and should be treated as workers who are entitled to the minimum wage and holiday pay.
The decision to appeal directly to the Supreme Court – the country’s highest court – is unsurprising given that Uber’s acting general manager, Tom Elvidge, indicated that the company would take that step following its defeat in the EAT.
Glenn Hayes, an employment partner at law firm Irwin Mitchell, said: ‘There is so much at stake for both sides and it’s inevitable that this will now move to the Supreme Court and might be heard as early as February 2018.’
There is speculation that the firm might seek to have its case heard at the same time as the Pimlico Plumbers appeal, which is due to be heard early next year and will also focus on the issue of employment status.
