Uber, Bolt and Addison Lee drivers strike on Valentine’s Day

Hundreds of Uber, Bolt and Addison Lee drivers are logging off throughout peak hours on Valentine’s Day in a marketing campaign for higher pay and dealing situations, a union says.

The strike motion is happening throughout the UK from 16:00 to 22:00 GMT.

The Unbiased Staff Union of Nice Britain (IWGB) stated it could unite “drivers up and down the nation confronted with low pay and insecure situations”.

Uber, Bolt and Addison and Lee have defended their working situations after the IWGB stated drivers in cities together with London, Birmingham, Manchester, Cardiff and Brighton had been backing the strike.

Vasilica Dumitrescu has been working for numerous platforms, together with Uber and Bolt, for the final 9 years. The 51-year-old stated she works seven days per week, clocking up greater than 80 hours, simply to make ends meet.

“It is actually dangerous financially, emotionally bodily, every little thing,” Ms Dumitrescu stated.

“I am unable to afford to make payments, lease, meals, which is so costly now. It is actually, actually dangerous.”

Ms Dumitrescu stated she hopes the strike results in increased pay agreements.

“The purchasers, they’re with us,” she added. “Each driver is upset as a result of they do not earn sufficient. They ask you the way a lot you get from this journey and are shocked at how little we get.”

An Uber spokesperson stated all its drivers are assured to earn no less than the nationwide dwelling wage, and that almost all can and do earn extra.

“On common, drivers throughout the UK earn greater than £30 per hour when taking journeys on Uber,” the spokesperson stated.

“Additionally they have entry to industry-leading protections corresponding to vacation pay, a pension and free illness and damage cowl, in addition to formal illustration by GMB Union.”

A spokesperson for Bolt stated the corporate was “dedicated to making sure our costs stability the incomes wants of drivers with affordability for passengers”.

“All drivers obtain vacation pay and financial dietary supplements to make sure they earn no less than the nationwide dwelling wage, alongside a pension,” the spokesperson added.

In one other assertion simply over an hour into the strike, a Bolt spokesperson stated service ranges had been “unaffected” and customers had been “in a position to guide rides as regular”.

Addison Lee has been contacted for remark. The corporate beforehand instructed the PA information company: “We’ve got a detailed working relationship with our drivers, which was additional bolstered in our current bi-annual driver satisfaction survey. We don’t anticipate to see any disruption to volumes or service ranges on February 14.”

In September 2024, Bolt drivers received a declare in opposition to the corporate after an employment tribunal dominated they had been “staff” beneath UK regulation and entitled to rights and protections, together with the nationwide minimal wage.

In January 2025, Addison Lee drivers received an identical case.

Helio Santos, who relies in Stratford in east London, is one other driver participating within the strike.

He has been driving with Uber for 3 years and stated that whereas he spent 70 to 80 hours per week on-line, that always interprets to only 25 to 30 hours of driving.

Mr Santos stated that Friday’s strike motion exhibits that drivers throughout UK are “reaching a breaking level”.

“That is unsustainable,” he stated. “Charges are too low, there is no such thing as a security, no transparency. Uber retains ignoring us.”

Mr Santos, who has three kids together with a four-year-old, stated Uber’s promise of the nationwide dwelling wage was “meaningless”.

“It’s mocking us, saying drivers get a dwelling wage. I will be higher off working for a cleansing firm,” he added.

The IWGB stated that since drivers grew to become “staff” beneath the regulation, they’ve reported their situations have worsened.

Alongside calls for for fairer pay and safer work, the union is looking for the introduction of security measures for drivers corresponding to rider ID verification, criticism monitoring methods, and assist for victims of assault.

A spokesperson for Bolt stated the corporate has dedicated €100m (£83.3m) over the subsequent three years to assist security initiatives for its drivers. In recent times, it has launched an in-app emergency help button and supplied extra passenger data previous to pick-up, the spokesperson added.

A part of Friday’s motion will embrace a vigil for Bolt driver Gabriel Bringye who was killed in Tottenham, north London, in 2021.

Mr Bringye, 37, was set upon by a bunch of youngsters on against the law spree, who booked the cab with the only real intention of robbing the motive force.

The IWGB stated the vigil marks 4 years since his demise, and that drivers are demanding higher protections in his title.