Ahead of an employment tribunal in Central London on 4th July, the GMB union has launched fresh legal action against Addison Lee over its drivers’ employment status.

The Central London Employment Tribunal is to hear the case tomorrow.

Three Addison Lee drivers are to form the test case before the Tribunal, represented by the Leigh Day law firm.

According to the claim made by the GMB, drivers should be classified as employees and therefore entitled to the National Minimum Wage, sickness and holiday pay, benefits that they are currently denied under the terms of their current engagement.

This is not the first case that the GMB has taken on. Apex Insight reported how the union took on Uber in the London Employment Tribunal last October, with the tribunal finding in the drivers’ favour. Uber is currently appealing the decision which is due to be heard in September at the employment appeal tribunal.

Maria Ludkin, GMB Legal Director, said: “Addison Lee is shirking its responsibilities through bogus self-employment.

“Addison Lee drivers work for Addison Lee and are entitled to the same basic rights and benefits as workers in other industries.”

Liana Wood, representing the drivers for Leigh Day, added: “Addison Lee currently denies that its drivers are entitled to the most basic of workers’ rights.

“They argue that drivers do not work for Addison Lee but instead work for themselves and are self-employed.

“On behalf of our clients we will claim that Addison Lee is wrongly classifying its drivers as self-employed with the result that drivers are denied the rights and protections that they were lawfully intended them to have, including the right to not have their contracts terminated because they are members of a trade union.

“We will argue that Addison Lee exerts significant control over its drivers in order to provide a highly trained and vetted driving service to the public.”  
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