The NZCTU Te Kauae Kaimahi is calling on the Prime Minister to respect the ruling of the Supreme Court and abandon Brooke van Velden’s Employment Relations Bill. The Bill would enshrine in law the ability of employers like Uber to misclassify platform workers as contractors.
“The Uber drivers winning in the Supreme Court is a tremendous victory for workers and the union movement – the Government needs to respect the ruling and uphold the rights of platform and gig economy workers,” said NZCTU Secretary Melissa Ansell-Bridges.
“The ruling proves that these workers are employees, not contractors. It highlights the widespread problem of misclassification in the platform economy where workers are being deprived of their employment rights and need better protection.
“This win shows what can be achieved when workers stand together and organise – the four drivers who took first went to court in 2021, with the support of Workers First and E tū unions, have won against a powerful multinational corporation.
“Uber has consistently lost in the courts, so they have lobbied Brooke van Velden to rewrite the law and enshrine the ability of employers to misclassify platform workers as contractors.
“The Employment Relations Bill currently before parliament would create a system that incentivises companies to exploit the contractor loophole, eroding standard employment conditions across industries and the entire economy.
“Mislabelling employees as independent contractors exposes workers to exploitation, denying them many of their basic protections and entitlements, such as sick and annual leave, minimum wage, protection of hours and protection from unjustifiable dismissal.
“The Prime Minister needs to respect the Court’s ruling and immediately halt the passage of the Employment Relations Bill,” said Ansell-Bridges.