UBER DRIVERS HELD TO BE EMPLOYEES: The landmark French ruling

The French Court ruled on 05 March 2020 that Uber drivers are ‘employees’, not self-employed independent contractors, as referred to in Uber’s terms and conditions.

Although technically this powerful ruling is limited to French law, the Court conducted a thorough analysis of Uber’s business model, which applies internationally. It is highly likely to be considered by the UK Supreme Court during Uber’s appeal regarding the legal employment status of UK drivers this summer.

The ruling emphasises that when looking at the question of employment status, courts are eager to look beyond contractual and regulatory assertions and look to what actually happens in practice between the parties.