Uber unveils pension scheme for UK drivers

LONDON — US ride-hailing giant Uber on Friday launched a pension scheme for its UK drivers after a court ruled they were entitled to workers' rights.

"Uber has announced that it will start rolling out its pension plan to all eligible drivers in the UK," the Silicon Valley company said in a statement.

The announcement comes after Uber granted its UK drivers worker status in March, with associated rights also including a minimum wage and holiday pay.

That move followed a Supreme Court ruling that Uber's 70,000 drivers across Britain were entitled to the rights.

Under the pension scheme, Uber will contribute 3 per cent of a driver's earnings as long as drivers pay in a minimum of five per cent.

Uber has also invited rival app-based private hire and ride-hailing operators to help it establish a cross-industry scheme.

"We want to ensure that all eligible drivers can benefit no matter who they earn with," said Jamie Heywood, regional general manager of Northern and Eastern Europe at Uber.

"Today I am extending an invitation to work with operators such as Bolt, Addison Lee and Ola."

He added that this would allow "drivers to save for their futures whilst working across multiple platforms".