The mobility service Uber has to employ its drivers in the Netherlands after a court ruling.
The autonomy of the drivers exists "only on paper", therefore they fall under the collective agreement for taxi drivers, a court in Amsterdam ruled on Monday and thus the trade union federation FNV was right.
"The legal relationship between Uber and the drivers fulfills all of the characteristics of an employment contract."
The court saw clear evidence of "modern employer authority".
The drivers are dependent on the app's algorithms, they are only allowed to refuse a few trips, and the company decides on the fare.
The FNV had sued Uber and spoke of a bogus self-employment.
In the opinion of the FNV, the judgment is an “important signal against bogus self-employment”.
However, the company had stated that the drivers who use the app were self-employed.
Uber announced an appeal against the verdict.
Previously, there had been similar judgments in other countries such as Great Britain. In Germany, Uber works differently after legal disputes over competition with the taxi industry: In this country, Uber only functions as an intermediary platform. The journeys are carried out by rental car companies, where the drivers are mostly employed on a permanent basis.