In a landmark decision, an appeals court in Malaysia has held that a Grabcar driver was not an employee, dismissing her appeal for her unfair dismissal case to be heard in the industrial court.

A three-member bench comprised of Justices Azizah Nawawi, See Mee Chun, and Zaini Mazlan, on 27 November ruled that the contract between Grab and Loh Guet Ching was commercial in nature, and not an employment contract, making her an independent contractor, not a “worker”, under the Industrial Relations Act 1967.