More than 2,000 South Yorkshire taxi drivers, working for the operator Veezu, are potentially eligible for thousands of pounds in compensation after being denied holiday pay and the National Minimum Wage. The claim, announced on Thursday, is open to all drivers who have worked for Veezu and its partner taxi companies in the last 10 weeks.
Law firm Leigh Day is acting on behalf of the drivers, asserting they should be treated as workers due to the way Veezu allocates jobs, pays, and penalizes them for declining jobs. Currently, Veezu classifies these drivers as self-employed contractors.
"We believe that Veezu drivers should be treated as workers for the company and given the appropriate rights and protection under employment law," Gabriel Morrison, a solicitor at Leigh Day, said on Thursday. "All taxi and delivery companies using this type of business model should be aware that they cannot continue to short-change their hard-working drivers."
This legal action follows a similar successful claim by Uber (NYSE:UBER) drivers in the Supreme Court, who were also represented by Leigh Day. The court ruled that Uber drivers should be treated as workers and granted workers' rights. Both Uber and Veezu use a similar business model.
Veezu has not yet received any formal notice about these claims. A spokesperson from the company stated: "We are confident that our position on the status of the driver partners operating via Veezu is lawful."
The claim against Veezu echoes Leigh Day's ongoing worker status claim against another taxi company, Bolt. Given the similarities in how Bolt and Veezu drivers work, Leigh Day believes there is a strong case that Veezu drivers should be classified as workers and receive compensation for holiday pay and any shortfalls between their pay and the National Minimum Wage.
If the claims against Veezu are successful, the company will only be legally required to compensate those who have brought a claim. Leigh Day is acting under a 'no win no fee' agreement, which means drivers do not pay anything unless their claim is successful.
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