BOLT drivers will get an estimated more than £15,000 each after winning a landmark workers’ rights case today believed to go further than the Supreme Court’s Uber ruling.
Leigh Day launched the case after the Supreme Court in 2021 ruled that Uber drivers are workers rather than self-employed contractors.
It said that the roughly 15,000 clients it represented will get an expected £200 million backdated compensation for underpayment of the minimum wage and unpaid holiday pay after an employment tribunal ruled they were workers as well.
The firm explained that Bolt currently only pays its drivers for time spent on trips but following the ruling should also pay for time spent logged into the app, providing they are not also logged into apps for other private hire operators.
Leigh Day solicitor Charlotte Pettman said: “This judgment confirms that gig economy operators cannot continue to falsely classify their workers as independent contractors running their own business to avoid providing the rights those workers are properly entitled to.”
Married father-of-three south London Bolt driver Shuhel Ahmed said: “This is brilliant news and such a relief.
“It’s satisfying to know that our hard work and long hours have been recognised, and that we can fight on for better pay and conditions, and for compensation that will make a huge difference to my family’s life.”
Private hire driver union GMB’s national officer Eamon O’Hearn said: “This ruling goes further than the landmark case against Uber, in which GMB was instrumental.
“It raises questions for the industry around waiting time and multi-apping.
“We believe workers’ rights around holidays should be universal and this ruling confirms that fact.
“GMB will be review the decision closely and engage with the industry to understand the implications for our members.”
App Drivers & Couriers Union General Secretary Zamir Dreni said: “This ruling against Bolt is long overdue but, once again, the poorest paid workers must spend years in litigation while successive governments stand by idly.
"The ruling vindicates our position on working time and demonstrates that neither Bolt nor Uber have never fully complied with the Supreme Court ruling which means that between 40 and 60 per cent of true working time remains unpaid.
"Rather than force workers back into courts for another decade of litigation, the government needs to step in now and fix the current employment bill, which omitted protections for gig workers, so that Britain’s hard working minicab drivers and delivery couriers get the protections they deserve”.
A Bolt spokesperson said: “Drivers are at the heart of what we do, and we have always supported the overwhelming majority’s choice to remain self-employed independent contractors, protecting their flexibility, personal control, and earning potential.
"We will continue to engage with drivers as we carefully review our options, including grounds for appeal, ensuring that we are helping drivers to succeed as entrepreneurs and grow on their own terms.”
