"Uber drivers protest in Glasgow over 'unfair' pay"

Uber drivers have protested outside the company's hub in Glasgow to demand better pay and job protection.

The drivers said their wages had plummeted in the last year despite prices rising for customers, and the company took an unfair slice of the fare.

GMB Scotland, representing the workers, said it was unclear how the company calculated fares and wages and it did not take increased fuel and insurance costs into account.

Uber said its drivers were guaranteed the National Living Wage and it regularly engaged with workers through the union.

A survey of members by the GMB revealed only one in five drivers was earning more now compared to a year ago.

Uber uses surge pricing, where fares rise when demand is higher, and drivers said the company must be more transparent about the system to ensure the increased revenue is fairly shared with them.

Amir Humza, 27, has been working for Uber in Glasgow for a over a year and says job rates are getting lower "day by day".

"Every week it slowly goes down by a few margins rather than up and expenses are getting higher," he said. [...]

Ewa Zezula-wozniczka, a GMB union representative, said drivers were struggling to earn enough to cover their expenses, including insurance and petrol.

"Everything went up and our income shrank," she told BBC Scotland News.

"We respect our passengers and we would totally love to have every single passenger onboard and take them.

"But we also need to think about our families, our income and how we’ll pay the bills to be able to sustain ourselves." [...]

"The company is making a lot of money, but we're the ones out on the street doing the work." [...]

An Uber spokesperson said: "All drivers on Uber are guaranteed holiday pay, access to a pension plan, free sickness protection and guaranteed National Living Wage – though the vast majority earn more.

"We regularly engage with drivers, including through our national agreement with GMB Union which ensures all drivers have access to full union representation.”