Statement from IWSAP on the recent win of Uber drivers in the New Zealand Supreme Court
We at Initiatives for Workers and Solidarity in Asia Pacific (IWSAP) celebrates and honours the extraordinary courage of Uber drivers and Workers First Union on their landmark victory in the New Zealand Supreme Court. The Supreme Court has affirmed what Uber drivers have been asserting for years – that they are workers who deserve full rights, protection, and respect. This win did not come as easily – it was built on years of resilience, persistence, and collective strength of workers who refused to accept the working conditions Uber imposed on them.
The court’s ruling exposes the deep injustices of Uber’s contractual model. By misclassifying the Uber drivers as “individual contractors”, they were stripped away their workers’ rights such as minimum wage protection, leave entitlements, and the right to collectively organize – all while maintaining control over their labor. This practice caused immense precarity and hardship, forcing individuals and families into constant instability. Today’s court decision has restored workers’ dignity and acknowledges the bravery of Uber driver claimants – Nureddin Abdurahman, Julian Ang, Bill Rama and Lalogafau Mea’ole Keil. Behind them are other drivers and allies who stood and are continuing to stand against corporate power.
This victory reverberates far beyond New Zealand. Gig workers throughout the Asia Pacific experience the same structural injustices – the same erasure of rights, the same corporate manipulations, the same neoliberal model that uses platform work to exploit workers and exacerbate precarious working conditions. The win of Uber drivers offers hope to those who continue to push back against unfair systems in the rapidly changing digital economy. Likewise, this is a call and inspiration for workers in different countries to organize and fight back to challenge transnational companies like Uber and dismantle structures which have long been repressing them in all facets of life.
IWSAP stands in unwavering solidarity with gig workers in New Zealand and across Asia-Pacific. The victory of the Uber drivers strengthens our collective resolve to keep pushing until every worker enjoys the dignity and rights that they deserve.
Long live workers of Asia Pacific!