A Brazilian higher court for labour ruled on Wednesday that there was no employment relationship between Uber and its drivers, siding with the ride-hailing company against a Sao Paulo driver.[BRASILIA] A Brazilian higher court for labour ruled on Wednesday that there was no employment relationship between Uber and its drivers, siding with the ride-hailing company against a Sao Paulo driver.
The federal judge in Brasilia ruled against recognising an employer-employee link, arguing that Uber drivers can disconnect at any time from the app and have a flexible work schedule. Until today, lower courts had decided on labour issues involving Uber, but now a federal court has ruled and its decision, while not binding for other similar cases, is expected to set the standard.
The ruling was welcomed by Uber, which said in a statement it supported dozens of previous decisions in Brazilian courts establishing that its drivers are not employees. Uber had argued that its platform is a digital intermediary, not an employer, and that drivers accept that condition when they sign on.