Fired Uber drivers bring complaints to BC Labour Relations Board

VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) — The union representing three Uber drivers who feel they were wrongly fired is taking its complaints to the BC Labour Relations Board.

One of the drivers was allegedly terminated after getting a bad review, and suspects it came from someone who refused to put a mask on when asked.

The president of UFCW 1518 doesn’t think that’s fair.

“The reasons why these ratings were put so low is because people were refusing to follow safe protocols that Uber had put into place, but it really highlights the fact that when an algorithm determines how you get rides, those ratings are very important,” said Kim Novak.

“Even a couple of bad ones can result in you being removed from the app.”

Novak emphasizes that Uber drivers are “on the frontlines of the pandemic,” and interact with hundreds of people per week.

Drivers and delivery people who lose access to their accounts can get it back if Uber decides that’s the best course of action following its investigation of the report and relevant documents.

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In a statement, Uber says it wants everyone who uses the service to be able to trust its drivers.

“We want every experience on the Uber platform to feel safe, respectful, and positive, and we’ve developed our policies with this in mind,” reads its statement.

The union along with Uber, the drivers, and the Labour Relations Board have a meeting on Tuesday.

A spokesperson from Uber was not made available to comment.