Deliveroo judgment shows how gig economy platforms and courts are eroding workers' rights

By Steve Rolf, ESRC Research Fellow, Digital Futures at Work Research Centre, University of Sussex
Jacqueline O'Reilly, Co-Director of the ESRC Centre on Digital Futures at Work, University of Sussex

The tide of employment law has continued to turn on the gig economy after the UK Supreme Court’s recent ruling that Deliveroo drivers are not considered workers but self-employed independent contractors.

This means people working in the gig economy are less likely to be able to access standard UK protections such as paid leave, rest breaks and the right to join a union. While some companies are negotiating private benefits like sick pay with gig workers, this risks fragmenting universal provision of…

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