UK union loses challenge to Deliveroo over drivers' status

Britain's High Court has ruled that Deliveroo riders do not have the right to collective bargaining—the latest in a series of rulings as U.K. courts grapple with the rise of the so-called "gig economy."

The court on Wednesday rejected the case of the Independent Workers Union of Great Britain, which argued the food delivery company should accept collective bargaining to negotiate pay, hours and holiday. The union says refusing to do so violated the riders' human rights under Article 11 of the European Convention.

Judge Michael Supperstone rejected the idea.

The ruling comes after a Central Arbitration Committee decision put Deliveroo riders outside the legal definition of workers because they're able to ask other riders to take deliveries—and thus don't provide a "personal service."

Deliveroo's U.K. managing director, Dan Warne, said: "This is a victory for riders who have consistently told us the flexibility to choose when and where they work, which comes with self-employment, is their number one reason for riding with Deliveroo."

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