Employment lawyer on Uber’s appeal of courier classification by Ministry of Labour

Uber has decided to appeal the Ontario Ministry of Labour’s decision to a courier as an employee and not an independent contractor. As gig workers become more prominently embedded in the economy, many legal labour representatives have stated that drivers need and deserve more protection.

Alex Lucifero, an Ottawa employment lawyer and managing partner at Samfiru Tumarkin LLP, the firm that has launched a class-action lawsuit against Uber in Ontario, spoke to the Canadian Press about Uber’s decision.

“The Labour Ministry decision confirms what we’ve been saying all along, which is that the vast majority of these gig workers …are effectively employees and that they are owed the same rights and the same minimum employment standards that all other employees are owed,” states Lucifero.

Lucifero goes on to explain that the Labour Ministry decision doesn’t set a legal precedent but will be useful as a submission in the ongoing class action on whether or not Uber couriers are considered employees. “It clearly gives an indication that is the way a court will favour.”