PRIVATE ride hire giant Addison Lee is attempting to reopen a workers’ rights employment tribunal case — despite having already lost it — the GMB union said today.

At a hearing today, solicitors Leigh Day, acting on behalf of 500 claimants, including many GMB members, called for the request to be thrown out.

The original case, brought by the union, saw an employment tribunal in 2017 and an appeal tribunal the following year reject the London-based firm’s arguments that their drivers are self-employed contractors, rather than directly employed employees.  

In 2021, the Court of Appeal ruled that bosses would not be able to fight the decision, but Addison Lee is now claiming changes to its operating model means any further claims must go to another tribunal, GMB said.

If the case progresses, the union and Leigh Day said they plan to demand the company pay up to £500,000 for “wasting everyone’s time.”

GMB’s Steve Garelick said: “Addison Lee says it’s changed its mode of operation, and that means the new claims have to be heard from the start.

“As far as we are concerned, that’s nonsense and we are asking the tribunal to throw the case out.

“Other operators like Uber have managed to reach agreement with its workers — there’s no reason why Addison Lee can’t do the same.”

Following a landmark Supreme Court ruling in February 2021 — which found that Uber must recognise its staff as workers rather than independent contractors — the US-owned app-based firm signed a groundbreaking union recognition deal with GMB.

Addison Lee was contacted for comment.