South Africa’s Commission for Conciliation, Mediation, and Arbitration (CCMA) has made a ruling that Uber drivers are now able to form unions, bargain, and strike.
The ruling allows drivers to bargain directly with Uber and not just their immediate employers, as is the case with some drivers who do not own their own Uber cars and drive for someone else or a company.
Drivers in South Africa have faced many challenges, among them constant battles and harassment from meter taxi drivers who do not want them to operate. This has led to Uber drivers stating that they sometimes work under unsafe working conditions and some have further stated, as part of the case presented that they are subjected to unfair dismissals by being deactivated on the Uber platform without any reasons being given.
Drivers have also complained that they are sometimes deactivated from the system without reasons given.
This ruling comes almost a year after several hundred Uber drivers in South Africa decided to join the South African Transport and Allied Workers’ Union (SATAWU) as they argue that they felt they were being exploited by Uber.
At the time, the drivers indicated that they were planning to take Uber South Africa to the labor court.
Uber insisted that they are not employees and that they are rather independent contractors who cannot be involved in any dispute in the CCMA
“The CCMA, however, was confronted with the problem that these cases couldn’t be heard because Uber insisted that they are not employees and that they are rather independent contractors who cannot be involved in any dispute in the CCMA. “In the end, it was concluded that the Uber drivers are in fact employees,” said Bradley Conradie, Uber South Africa’s Legal Representative.
This ruling comes almost a year after several hundred Uber drivers in South Africa decided to join the South African Transport and Allied Workers’ Union (SATAWU) as they argue that they felt they were being exploited by ride-hailing platform.