End of the road? What the Uber ruling means for the gig economy

Gig economy platforms like Deliveroo and Uber have warded off threats to their business model so far, but a landmark ruling in Britain means that could be about to change

Deliveroo rider Filipe Fernandes, who is leading a strike in protest at pay reductions and a ‘pedal more, earn less’ policy at the company. Picture: Fergal Phillips

Filipe Fernandes does not want a boss and does not want to go to work tomorrow if he doesn’t feel like it.

He is one of hundreds of delivery riders in Dublin who work across Deliveroo, Uber Eats, Just Eat and other mobile apps that deliver food to people’s front doors and offer flexible working hours to riders. These companies rely on the workers being categorised as self-employed and claim to have disrupted the employment ...