LONDON: Uber drivers in Britain started a day of transatlantic strikes on Wednesday to protest at the disparity between gig-economy conditions and the sums investors are likely to make in Friday's blockbuster stock market debut.
"Stand with these workers on strike today, across the UK and the world," said Jeremy Corbyn, the leader of Britain's opposition Labour Party. Uber has 3 million drivers globally, and it is not clear if the action can significantly slow service, although organizers have received widespread publicity.Chief Executive Dara Khosrowshahi, hired to help move the company past a series of scandals and manage the IPO, has promised to treat drivers better. Uber is paying more than a million drivers about US$300 million in one-time bonuses for instance, and has changed policies such as allowing riders to tip.
Uber and Lyft have steadily chipped away at rates, particularly in the more established markets where they have cut back on incentives and bonuses to attract new drivers. They have also devised more complicated formulas for determining what riders pay and what drivers earn.