Uber’s business model is under increasing pressure this week after a New Zealand court granted four drivers employee status and a former lobbyist turned whistleblower called on European lawmakers to curb the “undemocratic” power of tech giants.
Four Uber drivers sought a court declaration that they were company “employees” and therefore entitled to the minimum wage, rest and meal breaks, holidays, parental leave, and access to union membership and collective bargaining, among other employment rights and protections.