The latest cantonal ruling on the US ride-hailing firm comes as a national framework to determine the status of gig economy workers in Switzerland is still lacking.
The ruling by the Zurich social insurance court, published on Thursday, says that the “marked subordination” in the relation between Uber and its drivers means that it is one of dependence between an employer and an employee.
As such, Uber must pay social contributions for drivers, the court said: in this case – brought by the company against the Swiss National Accident Insurance Fund (Suva) and the Zurich social security services – it faces retroactive payments, including interest, of some CHF5.2 million ($5.64 million) for the year 2014.
What’s more, although the case in question refers to the now-disappeared from Switzerland UberPop service (a cheaper and less professionalised version), the verdict clearly refers to all categories of Uber drivers.
The US company argues that those who work using its app maintain control over when they work and which clients they take: the verdict also “ignores the fact that the majority of drivers in Switzerland want to remain independent”, it told the Neue Zürcher Zeitung newspaper.
Uber plans to appeal the verdict.
The ride-sharing app firm, which was founded in 2009, has caused certain controversy since its arrival in Switzerland in 2014. Several other similar Uber court decisions have been taken in other cantons, such as Geneva and Vaud, relating...
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