Uber Loses Landmark Case in the Supreme Court

After a long-running legal battle, the Supreme Court has now reached a decision on the status of Uber drivers in the case of Uber v Aslam.

The Court held that Uber drivers must now be classified as ‘workers’, rather than self-employed individuals, from the time they log on to the app, until they the time they log off, which includes time spent waiting to pick up passengers.

The judgment follows Uber’s appeal to the Supreme Court, after losing three earlier rounds in the Employment Tribunal and the High Court.

The decision means that tens of thousands of Uber drivers are now entitled to certain employment rights such as minimum wage for their entire working day (including 2 years’ back pay, possibly more), 5.6 weeks paid annual leave as well as whistleblowing and related rights. The judgment does not, however, give them ‘employee’ status, and so they do not, for example, have any entitlement to a redundancy payment or to claim unfair dismissal.

The ruling may have a wider effect in threatening Uber’s current business model, and it remains to be seen how this decision will affect gig economy individuals working for competing apps, and the impact in terms of potential claims.

This update has been provided by our Alpha Team. Alpha is our HR and Employment Support Service. To find out how we can help your business call us on 0845 450 1561.

Long service awards for law firm staff

2020 was a very interesting year with limited good news, however this still hasn’t stopped us officially recognising our long serving staff for their dedication and commitment to the practice.

Sarah Mears, Michelle Poulton, Julie Peate, Tina Martin, Sam Azzopardi-Tudor and Fiona Mainwaring have all received long service awards from the Partners.

Partner and Head of HR Alison Carter said their loyal support has been invaluable in the years they have worked for the firm, especially during this pandemic which has seen all staff working differently. We want to express the gratitude of the partners for all their efforts.  We’re a very close-knit team and we believe it’s crucial to recognise the dedication of our staff, and all the work they put in to help ensure the practice runs smoothly and efficiently. It’s an honour to see many of our employees have long and settled careers with us.

Julie Peate received her award for 30 years’ service. Julie is the first member of staff at Martin Kaye to receive this award for this length of service. Julie started with us back in December 1989 when we had offices at Hazledine House.

Celebrating 25 years’ service is Tina Martin our Senior Receptionist and celebrating 20 years services we have Sam Azzopardi-Tudor our Office Manager, Fiona Mainwaring our Wills & Probate Department Manager, Sarah Mears who is a Chartered Legal Executive in our Personal Injury team and Michelle Poulton who is an Associate in our Private Property Team.

Martin-Kaye Solicitors began in 1985 with just three members of staff and in the decades that have followed, the independent practice has become one of the largest legal firms with offices in Telford, Shrewsbury and Wolverhampton.

Martin Kaye recognised for cyber security for the third year running.

We have been recognised for the third year running for our cyber security. Martin Kaye LLP have received certification for Cyber Essentials by Norm and IASME Consortium. 

Cyber Essentials is a Government-backed scheme supported by the National Cyber Security Centre. The initiative encourages companies and organisations to adopt good practice in the way they use technology, and it protects them against a whole range of the most common cyber-attacks.

As part of the criteria we are required to show –

·         We are committed to using a secure internet connection in our offices

·         Ensure that all our devices and software are secure

·         Control who has access to our data and services

·         Protect our systems from viruses and other malware

·         All our devices and software regularly updated

Mrs Azzopardi-Tudor our Office Manager said, “Our commitment to this scheme and the recognition we have received is a clear indication to our clients and employees that we are constantly working to prevent cyber-attacks and protecting their personal data. This has become more important during the pandemic with staff working from home, in addition the rising risk of cyber-attacks and the threat of increasingly sophisticated cyber-crime, many companies are now choosing to work only with advisors and professional service providers who have been accredited. This recognition assures our clients that we take cyber security seriously, and that we’re continually updating our systems to protect their data at all times.

The accreditation means that Martin-Kaye Solicitors is listed in the recognised Government directory of organisations who have been awarded Cyber Essentials status. So if you’re looking to appoint a law firm that meets the very highest standards of cyber security will find us on the list.