Taxi drivers to strike for better pay and conditions from Uber
https://www.nottinghampost.com/news/not ... ay-2086049
'They call us partners but do not understand the meaning of the word'
Taxi drivers are set to go on strike to demand better pay and better working conditions from Uber.
The strike has been called by the United Private Hire Drivers union and will start on Tuesday, October 9.
It will last 24 hours, from 1pm until 1pm on Wednesday, October 10, and involve a rally outside the company's Nottingham headquarters in King Edward Court in the city centre.
According to the local branch chairman, Azeem Hanif, of Basford, the aim is to get better pay, keep more of their share and be treated better by the tech giant.
Private hire driver Azeem Hanif, 47, from Basford, is the chairman of United Private Hire Drivers (Image: Nottingham Post)
The 46-year-old, who has worked for Uber for three years, said: "They treat us with contempt - they call us partners but do not understand the meaning of the word. They treat us as disposable.
"Our message to customers is help us to get what we would like as our basic rights as workers. The prices are still going to be low but we are currently in a vulnerable position."
The strike has four aims.
Firstly, the union would like to see the fare raise to £2 per mile, with Mr Hanif claiming it is currently £1.20. Although he accepted this would mean a rise in the price for the customer, he believed Uber could bring it to this level and still remain cheaper than its competitors as the gap is currently so big.
The fare is the money that goes to the driver, as the booking fee is taken by Uber to pay for insurance and safety fees.
But from this fare a commission is taken by the company - as much as 25 percent, according to Mr Hanif - to pay for everything from the marketing to the administration. This brings the hourly wage below the legal minimum, he claims.
The union wants to see this commission brought down to 15 percent.
Mr Hanif said drivers with other companies earn at least £2 an hour without having to pay a commission - but some are having to join Uber because Uber is taking customers from other companies.
Another union aim to end what it describes as "unfair dismissals". Mr Hanif said there have been a number of examples of this in the city, where a driver is suspended after a customer complaint and is not asked to put their side of the story across.
Finally they want to be treated "with respect" as if they were full-time employees, with benefits such as holidays, and a reduction in the number of drivers employed (between 700 and 900 in the city, Mr Hanif calculates), which means some struggle to get jobs.
It is not clear how many taxis will take part in the protest but Mr Hanif hopes drivers from other companies will join in solidarity with them.
Similar protests will be held in London and Birmingham.
A spokesman for Uber said: “We are always looking to make improvements to ensure drivers have the best possible experience and can make the most of their time driving on the app.
"That's why over the last few months we’ve introduced dozens of new features, including sickness, injury, maternity and paternity protections.
"We continue to look at ways to help drivers increase their earnings and our door is always open if anyone wants to speak to us about any issues they're having.”
He added the benefits of Uber were that drivers were not tied to a minimum amount of work.
