Deliveroo riders aren’t entitled to collective bargaining protections, UK court says

By DANICA KIRKA
Associated Press

LONDON (AP) — Britain’s top court has ruled that riders for one of the country’s biggest meal delivery companies don’t have the right to collective bargaining because they aren’t employees. The decision may have broad implications for the gig economy in the U.K. The Supreme Court’s ruling Tuesday came in a case filed by the Independent Workers Union of Great Britain, which had sought to represent riders who deliver takeout meals for Deliveroo. When Deliveroo refused to negotiate, the union appealed, arguing that the company was violating rights guaranteed by the European Convention on Human Rights. But the court says the right to collective bargaining applies only when there is an “employment relationship.”