As the Uber drivers have their case heard in the Supreme Court today, the New Zealand Council of Trade Unions Te Kauae Kaimahi believes that the outcome of the case will have lasting implications for people working the in the platform economy and workers who have been misclassified as contractors.
"As a country we should be supporting Uber drivers in their fight against a multinational corporate that is trampling on their legal the employment rights, not undermine them as this Government is doing," said NZCTU Secretary Melissa Ansell-Bridges.
"The drivers who brought this case are taking a heroic stand on behalf of all workers who have been misclassified as contractors.
"Everyone deserves good work, work that is well-paid, safe and secure and has minimum rights and conditions - that includes platform economy workers.
"The International Labour Organization is currently developing a binding convention for securing decent work in the platform economy, at the same time the New Zealand government is making life even more difficult for platform workers.
"Brooke van Velden is changing the law at the direction of Uber's lobbyists because they keep losing in the courts - it's a disgrace and shows why we need to get rid of this Government," said Ansell-Bridges.
