Uber drivers to stage 24-hour strike in city

UBER drivers in Stoke-on-Trent are today staging a 24-hour strike in protest at 'unacceptable' pay.

- Thomas Cooper

Leaders said more than 100 drivers were due to switch off their app from 7am and refuse any pick-ups until 7am tomorrow.

The strike, led in the Potteries by Abdul Alim, Mohammed Liton and Mihai Buta, is part of a larger national protest organised by the App Drivers and Couriers Union (ADCU). Drivers in cities such as London, Birmingham, Manchester, Nottingham, and Leeds are also staying home for the day.

Mr Alim, of Tunstall, has worked as an Uber driver in Stoke-on-Trent for more than eight years, having completed 39,233 trips in that time. He says he used to take home about £1,200 a week, but that has now dropped to £600, while his working hours have shot up dramatically.

He said: "When Uber started in Stoke-on-Trent, they used to take a 25 per cent commission, which was fair enough. We were all happy to pay it. Now Uber is taking around 40 to 50 per cent commission.