UK union free to challenge Deliveroo over drivers’ status

LONDON – A judge has given a British union permission to mount a legal challenge over the employment status of drivers for the food-delivery service Deliveroo.

Last year a tribunal ruled that Deliveroo’s moped drivers and cyclists are self-employed. The Independent Workers Union of Great Britain disputes that and says riders are being “denied basic employment rights” including a guaranteed minimum wage, holiday pay and collective-bargaining rights.

High Court judge Ingrid Simler said Friday that the union could challenge the tribunal ruling. No date has been set.

The case is among several legal wrangles over the status of workers in the “gig economy.” Ride-hailing service Uber is appealing a U.K. decision that its drivers are workers, not independent contractors, in a case that goes to the heart of the company’s business model.