"Thousands of Addison Lee drivers could receive payout over workers’ rights", 22 Apr 2021

Thousands of Addison Lee drivers could be entitled to an average £10,000 each in compensation after the court of appeal found they were “workers” entitled to the national minimum wage and paid holiday.

Lord Justice Bean dismissed an appeal by Addison Lee against a 2017 employment tribunal that found that three drivers for the company were entitled to the minimum wage from the time they logged on as ready to take passengers to the time they logged off. That decision was also upheld by the employment appeal tribunal in 2018.

The ruling is the latest victory for gig economy workers after the UK supreme court dismissed Uber’s appeal against a landmark employment tribunal, which found that its drivers should be classed as workers with access to the minimum wage and paid holidays.

Addison Lee has 28 days in which it could appeal to the supreme court but it is not expected to do so...

“This decision follows hot on the heels of the landmark Uber judgment in the supreme court. At Leigh Day we hope other companies with similar business models to Uber and Addison Lee recognise that they cannot continue to deny people basic rights such as holiday pay and the national minimum wage” [ said Liana Wood, a solicitor at the Leigh Day law firm that represented about 100 drivers in the case]...

A spokesperson for Addison Lee said: “This is a historic case, relating to three drivers who stopped driving for us four years ago. Since then, we have since changed our working practices and the way we engage with drivers to ensure we maintain the flexibility our drivers demand while continuing to provide the best earning opportunity for the highest calibre professional drivers...