Uber application to send case straight to Supreme Court is refused

Uber’s application to “leapfrog” an appeal to the Supreme Court has been refused.

It follows last month’s Employment Appeal Tribunal dismissal of the cab hailing company’s appeal in the case of Uber v Aslam.

The EAT confirmed that Uber drivers were workers and should therefore claim basic workers’ rights such as sickness and holiday pay.

Uber then applied for permission to bypass the Court of Appeal, which would typically be the next step, and send its appeal straight to the Supreme Court. This type of exception is only granted in a small minority of important cases.

This application has been refused, and the appeal will be heard by the Court of Appeal some time next year.

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The Supreme Court will hear another employment status case early next year, however, when Pimlico Plumbers appeals against a decision that one of its plumbers who had signed a self-employment contract is in fact a worker.

This case will see the highest court in the UK make a decision on employment status, so will be watched with interest.