PRIVATE hire drivers across Britain took part in a 24-hour global strike today, calling for better pay and conditions.

Thousands of workers were predicted to log off from their apps as they joined collegues in a number of countries, including the United States, Nigeria and Uruguay, in also calling for greater protections for gig-economy workers.

The Independent Workers of Great Britain (IWGB) said the day-long strike was observed in cities including London, Newcastle, Bristol and Manchester and included a two-hour walkout at Heathrow airport from 7am.

Nader Awaad of the IWGB said: “Drivers around the world today are not living but surviving — we’re hanging on by a thread.

“There are hidden epidemics of depression, chronic pain and broken relationships plaguing the workforce, because of unhealthily long hours spent on the road trying to scrape a living.

“Pay isn’t the only thing that causes us stress. We live with the constant threat of losing our income if our accounts are unfairly deactivated and the anxiety that, with no proper safety protections, we might be the next driver to face violent assault.

“Shareholders at the top of this industry think they can get away with devastating drivers’ lives to fund their luxury lifestyles, but workers around the world have had enough and are uniting across borders to send a powerful message this May Day. 

“This is a global fightback against a broken system.”

Uber said it had taken a number of steps in partnership with Heathrow management to mitigate any impact.

The airport said that terminal operations would continue as normal but recommended that passengers consider alternative transport where possible.