Video of B.C. Uber driver being punched prompts calls for safety

A video showing an Uber driver being punched in the head by a passenger in Abbotsford last week is prompting more calls for additional protections for gig and app-based workers.

The dashcam footage, shared on social media, shows a man sitting in the back seat of a vehicle, with driver Aman Sood in front. The passenger is seen taking his seatbelt off before lunging at the driver, striking him before a scuffle ensues between the pair.

The two people are seen getting out of the vehicle after the altercation, after which point the video cuts out.

It’s unclear what happened in the moments prior, or what caused the outburst.

However, the incident is now renewing calls from the BC Federation of Labour for the province to do more to address this sort of violence.

BCFed President Sussanne Skidmore and Sood met with B.C. Labour Minister Harry Bains Wednesday to outline their concerns.

“They will highlight the need to ensure gig and app-based workers have the basic workplace protections including access to employment standards, health and safety protocols and workers’ compensation coverage for injuries,” the union said in a release ahead of the meeting.

Skidmore says the federation has been “pushing really hard on this issue around the misclassification of workers who are working in the app-based gig economy.”

“They currently don’t have access to workers’ compensation, employment standards because of the way they’re classified by Uber, and one of the things that we think was really important is that when situations like this happen the people who are elected to create legislation and protect workers in the province hear those stories and understand how important it is that we do this right here in British Columbia,” she told CityNews.

The federation says with the conversation ongoing, it’s important the province ensure gig and app-based workers are “considered workers,” and that companies are held to account “to make sure that they’re operating in the same way that other companies do.”

“I’m hopeful that we’ll see some legislation around this in the future,” Skidmore added.

Skidmore notes workers like Sood are considered “independent contractors.”

“They’re not deemed as employees and that’s where we’re pushing government. We think that the workers who are working for these app-based companies, and the companies, should be part of the Workers Compensation System, WorkSafe as we call it here in B.C., like almost all of the other employers have to participate, right? There are pieces around education and prevention and workers’ rights. When you go into a new job, the employer has a responsibility to let you know about some safety issues, they have to make sure you are safe when you go to work, and they also have to support you if you get injured in the job,” she explained.

The conversation comes after a Research Co. poll also released Wednesday showed many British Columbians surveyed believe “workers who provide ride-hail and food delivery services should be entitled to basic employment protections, like minimum wage, overtime pay, paid sick days, or workers’ compensation, if injured on the job.”

Seventy-four per cent of those surveyed agreed with that statement.

-With files from Michael Williams