Dozens of drivers for a Royal Mail-owned courier service are set to take their fight for workers' rights to an employment tribunal this year. The 46 drivers, who work around-the-clock making deliveries, including transporting vital blood and tissue samples to NHS hospitals, claim they have been wrongly classified as self-employed.
Their case alleges that the company's control over their work, including job allocation and expectations around availability and performance, is inconsistent with genuine self-employment. According to two of the drivers, who wished to remain anonymous, they are working long hours without guaranteed pay, often having to sit idle in their vans for hours waiting for jobs.
The drivers argue that this level of control should grant them worker status, entitling them to minimum wage and holiday pay. Their case is being supported by the Independent Workers Union of Great Britain, which has long campaigned against companies like eCourier that opt out of providing workers' rights.
Leigh Day, a law firm that successfully represented Uber drivers in a landmark supreme court case, is representing the eCourier drivers. Two years ago, the UK Supreme Court ruled that Uber drivers should be classified as workers rather than self-employed contractors.
Mandy Bhattal, an employment partner at Leigh Day, said that if the eCourier drivers are found to be workers, they will be able to claim holiday pay and national minimum wage after deductions. This could lead to improved working conditions for the drivers, who currently struggle to make ends meet under the current arrangements.
The case is a significant challenge to companies like eCourier, which continue to exploit their workforce by denying them basic rights such as fair pay and protections. As Alex Marshall, president of the Independent Workers Union of Great Britain, said, "This case highlights the government's failure to tackle the deep injustice that runs through the gig economy."
Their case alleges that the company's control over their work, including job allocation and expectations around availability and performance, is inconsistent with genuine self-employment. According to two of the drivers, who wished to remain anonymous, they are working long hours without guaranteed pay, often having to sit idle in their vans for hours waiting for jobs.
The drivers argue that this level of control should grant them worker status, entitling them to minimum wage and holiday pay. Their case is being supported by the Independent Workers Union of Great Britain, which has long campaigned against companies like eCourier that opt out of providing workers' rights.
Leigh Day, a law firm that successfully represented Uber drivers in a landmark supreme court case, is representing the eCourier drivers. Two years ago, the UK Supreme Court ruled that Uber drivers should be classified as workers rather than self-employed contractors.
Mandy Bhattal, an employment partner at Leigh Day, said that if the eCourier drivers are found to be workers, they will be able to claim holiday pay and national minimum wage after deductions. This could lead to improved working conditions for the drivers, who currently struggle to make ends meet under the current arrangements.
The case is a significant challenge to companies like eCourier, which continue to exploit their workforce by denying them basic rights such as fair pay and protections. As Alex Marshall, president of the Independent Workers Union of Great Britain, said, "This case highlights the government's failure to tackle the deep injustice that runs through the gig economy."
They work all night making deliveries, it's not fair that they have to sit around waiting for jobs and don't get guaranteed pay. It's like they're being treated as just independent contractors but still living on the road 24/7. I think it's time someone held these companies accountable and gave their drivers some basic rights like a decent wage and paid holidays 
They're fighting for what's rightfully theirs - fair treatment & basic rights! I'm all about empowering people, especially those on the frontlines like our courier heroes. The fact that they're being controlled by their job and having to sit idle is just unacceptable 
. Two years ago we saw a major shift with Uber drivers getting worker status, now it's eCourier's turn! 
I'm so proud of the Independent Workers Union of Great Britain for standing up for these workers & Leigh Day for taking on this case. If these drivers win, it'll be a huge win for all gig economy workers & we can start to see some real change 
I'm thinking, these drivers are basically working for Royal Mail, but they're not getting the same benefits as regular employees... it just doesn't add up 
. And I can totally see why they'd want to take their case to an employment tribunal - they've got a solid argument that they're being treated unfairly.
I also wonder, what's going on with companies like eCourier that just opt out of providing workers' rights in the first place? It's not right that they're profiting off their employees without giving them any protection.
. But for now, I just hope that the tribunal makes a fair decision and that these drivers get the justice they deserve 
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. eCourier drivers hv 2 work 2 hard w/o getting a decent wage, & its crazy dat dey gotta sit idle 4 hrs waiting 4 jobs. i think its high time dey take action & go 2 da employment tribunal 2 sort dis out. dey rnt just deliverin packages dey r keepin vital samples & dey deserve better pay n conditions 
. it's crazy that companies like eCourier can just take advantage of people like this without any consequences. two years ago we already saw the Uber case and now this is happening again, but i'm glad to see more drivers standing up for themselves 
. this case could set a precedent for all gig economy workers everywhere and finally bring some justice to the industry 
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. It seems like these drivers are really struggling to make ends meet too... I feel bad for them 
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. Maybe we're seeing some bigger changes coming to the way workers are classified in the gig economy? 
️. It's like they're not even employees 
. If they do win this case, it'll be a major victory for workers' rights 
. The fact that the UK Supreme Court ruled on Uber drivers being classified as workers is already paving the way 
. But what's really concerning is that companies are still taking advantage of people in the gig economy 
. I hope these eCourier drivers get the justice they deserve and can enjoy some decent pay and benefits 
. If they're classed as self-employed, it seems like a reasonable arrangement considering the flexibility they get in their work schedules.
. This case needs to raise awareness about the struggles of gig economy workers, we need more change! 
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. Are we going to see more companies like eCourier having to rethink their business models? 
. It would be awesome if we saw more transparency and accountability from companies like eCourier 
. They deserve the same rights as anyone else in this country - minimum wage, holiday pay, and some decent working conditions too! 
. 2 yrs ago, uber got a supreme court win and now eCourier is doin the same thing, but our gov's gotta step up & give these drivers the rights they deserve 
. minimum wage, holiday pay, and better work conditions are NOT optional 
. The fact that these drivers are working long hours without guaranteed pay and having to sit idle for hours is unacceptable. It's clear that they're being treated as little more than an extension of the company, which is a far cry from genuine self-employment 
. The Independent Workers Union of Great Britain is doing some great work in fighting for these workers' rights, and I hope they succeed in their case 
. As Alex Marshall so aptly put it, this case showcases the injustice that many gig workers face, and I think it's high time for some real change 
Like my cousin works as a freelancer and she has to do lots of odd jobs, but she sets her own hours and stuff. Does that count as self employment too? 