Deliveroo has won the latest battle in the long-running dispute over the employment status of it’s riders. The takeaway delivery app has always claimed that their delivery riders are self-employed and the Court of Appeal have confirmed this is the case, despite claims that the riders are actually “workers” who should receive certain statutory rights.
The case goes back to 2017 when the Independent Workers Union of Great Britain (IWGB), sought recognition to engage in “collective bargaining” on behalf of a group of Deliveroo riders in north London. But a series of rulings, now upheld by three Court of Appeal judges, have found that they cannot be classified as “workers” under trade union law.
The Court ultimately stated that Deliveroo riders do have the right to organise but do not have permission to do so via a trade union which confers specific legal protections.
