Uber and other private hire drivers to log off apps for global strike
The 24-hour strike, coordinated by the Independent Workers of Great Britain (IWGB), will see drivers log off apps like Uber and Bolt in cities across the UK, including London, Newcastle, Bristol, and Manchester.
A two-hour walkout is also planned at Heathrow Airport from 7am, though the airport has stated that terminal operations are expected to continue as normal.
The strike will see UK drivers join colleagues in countries around the world, including the United States, Nigeria, and Uruguay, in a united call for change. The IWGB argues that falling fares, long hours, and a lack of basic worker protections are pushing drivers to their limits.
Nader Awaad, of the IWGB, said: 'Drivers around the world today are not living but surviving – we're hanging on by a thread.
'There are hidden epidemics of depression, chronic pain and broken relationships plaguing the workforce, because of unhealthily long hours spent on the road trying to scrape a living.
'Pay isn't the only thing that causes us stress – we live with the constant threat of losing our income if our accounts are unfairly deactivated, and the anxiety that, with no proper safety protections, we might be the next driver to face violent assault.
'Shareholders at the top of this industry think they can get away with devastating drivers' lives to fund their luxury lifestyles, but workers around the world have had enough, and are uniting across borders to send a powerful message this May Day. This is a global fightback against a broken system.'
Uber said it has taken a number of steps in partnership with Heathrow to mitigate any impact.
A spokesperson said: 'We regularly engage with drivers, especially through our industry-leading agreement with the GMB union, who are not taking part in this action.
'Uber is currently meeting with hundreds of drivers across the country to hear directly from them about how we can improve their experience on the platform.'
Uber added that unlike other operators, it has designated UK drivers as 'workers', which means that all drivers receive at least the national living wage, holiday pay and access to a pension plan as well as free sickness and injury cover, childcare vouchers and access to free Open University courses.
Heathrow said Terminal operations will continue as normal, and the airport is expecting 'minimal impact' – but recommended that passengers consider alternative transportation arrangements where possible.
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Telegraph
7 hours ago
- Telegraph
Heathrow third runway will cost passengers £100 per flight, says BA
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The Independent
10 hours ago
- The Independent
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The Sun
10 hours ago
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Transport secretary Heidi Alexander will review the submissions and they will go to a consultation phase. A spokesperson for Heathrow said: 'If the government takes forward our proposal, our shareholders will need sufficient comfort that the necessary policy will be implemented before they are able to greenlight us taking this proposal forward to a full planning application.' Our ancient village will be flattened by Heathrow's third runway but we still SUPPORT it By Jonathan Rose, Senior News Reporter RESIDENTS of a village which could be partially demolished to make way for a third runway at Heathrow Airport have backed the plans. Hundreds of homes could be demolished in the West London villages of Harmondsworth and Longford if the expansion gets the green light. The airport wants to build a third runway to raise capacity and boost resilience. In a speech on Wednesday, Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves highlighted the scheme among a throng of major projects she said the Government would support. Ms Reeves later said she wanted to see the expansion completed by 2035 and added the whole Cabinet is "united" behind the plan. Ashley Price owns and plumbing business and is from generations of Harmondsworth villagers. He and his parents "welcomed the news" of their home being demolished. He told The Times: "I feel good. Knock it down. My parents are retired and this has been in the works for two decades of my life. "Just get it done." But campaigners said the expansion could "smash our community". Richard Young is the vicar at the St Mary the Virgin church in Harmondsworth. He said the plans "cut very deeply" for residents living in what he described as a "tight-knit community". He added: "If it went ahead, it would have a devastating effect on the place. The vast majority of it would disappear. "The church would stay but the community around it would go. "(The plans) have been talked about for decades and has been a blight hanging over everyone's heads. "People can't move because no one wants to buy their homes. People love living here. It's their home. "There's anxiety, fear and anger. But there's also tension because some people hold different views." Justine Bayley, who lives in Harmondsworth and is chairwoman of the Stop Heathrow Expansion group, said the scheme risked wiping most of the village. She said: "It's inevitable that demolishing hundreds of homes will smash up a community. "We have two pubs and two shops that would become unviable because of a lack of customers. "There's a bus route that would have to disappear because there's a runway in the way. "You'd end up with people being left behind ... (but) the community would be gone." Ms Bayley, who has lived in the village for 30 years, said her home would not be demolished but would be roughly "50 paces" from the boundary of the new runway. She added: "There is some disbelief that it will actually go ahead. "It's not the first time we've been here and this is the last in a series of proposals. "There are many different views in the village and some, particularly those who can't sell their houses at the moment, are just wanting clarity.
