GMB, the union for private hire drivers, is celebrating a legal victory after a tribunal ruled Addison Lee's drivers are entitled to 'basic workers’ rights'.

The Central London Employment Tribunal yesterday ruled a group of Addison Lee drivers were not self-employed, as Addison Lee argued, but are workers who are entitled to essential workers’ rights, including to be paid the national minimum wage, receive holiday pay and not have their contracts terminated because they are members of a trade union.

GMB said this case has major implications for more than 30,000 drivers across England and Wales.

In October GMB, represented by Leigh Day, won a similar ground-breaking victory against Uber. Uber is currently appealing the decision in the employment appeal tribunal, which is due to be heard in September.

Maria Ludkin, GMB legal director, said: “Once again the courts have agreed with our argument regarding bogus self-employment.

“Addison Lee drivers are worker and are therefore entitled to workers’ rights.

“This ruling means yet another logistics firm has been forced to obey the law and honour responsibilities to employees.

“GMB will continue to pursue these exploitative companies on behalf of our members.”

Liana Wood, representing the drivers for Leigh Day, added: “We are delighted that the employment tribunal has found in favour of our clients.

"This judgment acknowledges the central contribution that Addison Lee’s drivers have made to the success of the company by confirming that its drivers are not self-employed but that they work for Addison Lee as part of Addison Lee’s business.

"There will now be a further hearing in the Employment Tribunal to calculate the holiday and pay that the drivers should receive.

"We are seeing a creeping erosion of employment rights as companies misclassify their workers as self-employed so as to avoid paying them holiday pay and the national minimum wage.”

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