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A CitySprint worker in the UK receives holiday pay and that ruling should be of grave concern for firms with similar business models – and companies in Ireland  like Uber should take notice too!

A UK tribunal has ruled that a cycle courier working for delivery firm CitySprint should be classified as a worker and receive holiday pay and the national living wage, in the latest court victory for individuals working for firms in the ‘gig economy’.

The case also follows a high-profile October employment tribunal victory for two Uber drivers, which could force the taxi-hailing app to offer sick pay and holiday pay to its 40,000-strong fleet of drivers. The business is appealing the verdict.

While limited in their scope and subject to appeal, these cases point to a willingness among courts to apply stringent criteria to self-employed status, a trend that has implications beyond the gig economy embodied by couriers and Uber drivers. Construction workers, chambermaids and warehouse staff are often working on comparable contracts, as well as the growing network of self-employed delivery drivers.