Uber Drivers Forum banner

Labor gonna introduce minimum wages

1K views 27 replies 16 participants last post by  everythingsuber 
#1 ·
#3 ·
"The party changed its platform at the Labor national conference on Monday to say a Labor government will "urgently" set up an independent body to establish pay and conditions for all transport industry drivers and operators, which would include ride sharing and on-demand transport companies."

"This task has become more pressing given the emergence of new technology and the gig economy in passenger and freight transport which has accelerated the downward spiral throughout the transport industry," the amendment said."

Essentially they recognise workers in the transport industry are being exploited ( all of us) and something needs to be done about it.
 
#7 ·
Soem people are so stupid ... Why do you want became and employee of Uber? Did you want to do every job sent your way? Work shifts?... Idiots...
Min wage won't work in this type of work.. You cannot be guaranteed 100% a min wage per hr in rideshare /taxi...
Yes exactly. We are sole traders so it's as crazy as the government introducing a minimum wage for freelance photographers..
New York City did it by having a driver cap which ensures drivers earn more in a shift. Empty Ubers on the roads, drivers sitting on the side of the roads, congesting streets while drivers struggling to earn.
They should definitely look at a driver cap like NYC.
 
#14 ·
All they had to make taxi service commision strong enough that they have proper staff number to enforce laws like taxi standards. I don't mind paying $2400 a year for taxi accredition like new York City . THe reason taxi industry got affected is because quality standards were never enforced.
Also, TSC should directly control how many jobs are picked up by taxi companies and fine companies for not maintaining standards or start rating systems for taxi companies so people choose companies with higher realibility.
Ultimately, taxis are public service not a business like uber thinks. Uber does not care about people with disabiltiies and can charge them any amount which is discrimination like how will a person with severe autism know if uber is charge him or her fair price?uber can't just walk over every rule of this country and think no one can do anything about them.
 
#17 · (Edited)
The test is in 38 hours of "work" can you pay for a house, living expenses for yourself, wife and kids? Nope. Probably cannot even do it if you were working 60 hours. That not even including Super, Holidays, Sick Leave.

The thing is if Uber and other gig companies didn't want drivers doing "full time hours." they should be limiting everyone to under 32 hours per week. But when Uber leaves the door open to be able to work 84 hours logoff for 8 hours and the driver been able to log back in for another 4 hours in a 24 hour day per week... That not flexible or choosing ur own hours :D Especially how much flexibility does one have if they are spending 112 hours on the road per week? That the same as working 3 full time salary jobs without any actual "benefits" of a salary job.

Not that I ever dream of been a full time driver :oops: just the pay needs to be lifted.
Australia went backwards with the introduction of Gig work that took us back a hundred year in workers rights. Should be fair pay for work and the increasing cost of compliance is going up every year as wages fall. Not like when it first was where you only needed a car and license and you start driving.

At least in Perth the minimum cost of operating a hire & reward vehicle is around four thousand PA. "including rego, insurance and fees." That a fixed cost and doesn't add any value for the driver and a pure expense. DOT making $$ off drivers, rideshare is, ATO is, insurance is and the only person that isn't making much is the poor driver busting his back and neck on the road dealing with bogans day in and day out on the frontlines :p
 
#24 ·
Correct. The concept of a living wage is not dead, despite the gig economy doing everything it can to kill it. A living wage is what everyone who doesn't work under a one-sided contract, who can opt in to collective bargaining, who enjoys the protections of an independent umpire to make determinations on workplace issues and who is part of a government-regulated system of retirement savings has. Uber drivers have NONE of these and "flexibility" is a limpid, meaningless trade off for a living wage. Two years of having to rely on Uber as my main source of income taught me this and those lessons are learnt by thousands of drivers every year.
 
#20 ·
The current model works if people treat it as part time, casual. If you're not running a side hustle in addition to ride share (ride share should be the side hustle not the other way round) then don't be surprised when it stops working for you.I guess the attrition rate is evidence of that.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Adums and Duderx
#21 ·
Uber use us drivers as their resource to access and service clients. Without us, they cannot do this. So the transactions involve 3 parties. The logical step is for us drivers to remove Uber from the transaction and just deal directly with the client. So an open source platform needs to be lifted up and maintained by us drivers to cut Uber out. I believe this will be the next disruption event in rideshare sector. Ubers imminent IPO will be compromised by this possible competitive threat and also the collapsing goals and failed outcomes of automated vehicle r&d program teams around the globe. Automation doesn't work well in built up cities and the engineers can't crack the ethical and some situational problems presented by robots driving vehicles in these environments.

In finishing, Uber et al are just going to come and go. Their technology was disruptive but it will become uncompetitive, while asking 25% for what is essentially a digital platform. Like eBay trying to take 25% of a transaction.
Not sustainable. We're looking at peak Uber. The real client relationship is between the drivers and riders. One thing I haven't mentioned is how Uber is now facing growing regulatory pressure from gov organisations regarding workers wages and conditions. I'd give Uber 5 years max until they're obsolete. Too many threats emerging for them to overcome.
 
#23 ·
Yea right the old Uber scare tactic. Rostering in is not in Uber's interest, they just need to control the number of cars in the road. The less cars the more the driver makes. By the way minimum wage is much more than $20, add casual loading, weekend penalty rates and vehicle costs. Minimum wage needs to be about $35. And Uber do not just take 25 percent they take 27.5 percent. Even if you use the other Uber argument that they are not about full time drivers they feed from the same market that employees full time taxi drivers and hirecar drivers. It's funny that Uber doesn't mind calling us full time drivers and employees when it talks about how many "jobs" it has created.
 
#28 · (Edited)
It's not just Uber it's cabs as well. Interesting times. We could end up with something very different to the systems and structures we have now. Government like the idea of people being able to earn a little extra a week just putting in a few hours driving so that's something they'll try and hold on to. Reality is people are probably going to get use to the idea they are going to have to add the cost of one drink to their night out to getting to and from safely.

Ubers business model has always unsustainable that's not to say there aren't pieces you can take from it and work on.

There are non negotiables to my way of thinking.
Safety GPS tracking and tamper proof cameras.
Vehicle safety and drivers pay. Companies must ensure that the cost of maintaining a vehicle and a minimum wage is insulated from and discounts deals our whatever they choose to do to generate business. Uber/Lyft/Didi/Ola can lose money but they can't have drivers subsidising their losses.

If you are not prepared to invest in a safe camera system as a causal driver it's not for you to my way of thinking.
You can lease cameras for a few tax deductible dollars a month.

If you're not prepared to provide decent pay to ensure vehicles are maintained and drivers earn a reasonable rate then you're not the sort of company that deserves to exist.

Should be able to work out something that is sustainable though and you can do part time.
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top