Imagine losing your job because an algorithm decided you were no longer useful. No explanation. No warning. No chance to appeal. That’s what’s happening to Uber drivers across the UK - and now they’re fighting back.

Over the past few months, thousands of people in the Organise network have come together to take on one of the biggest gig economy giants. Drivers shared they were getting booted off the app with no evidence, often after a single unverified complaint. One day you’re working. The next, you’re locked out, and just like that, your income is gone.

This isn’t some glitch in the system. This is the system. A platform powered by profit, where human lives are collateral damage in the name of efficiency.

So this community did what we do best. We got organised.

Over 10,700 people signed the petition. Hundreds emailed their MPs, government departments and Uber directly. A group of drivers and supporters delivered those signatures straight to Uber’s shiny HQ in London, face to face with the people making these decisions.

The government is now stepping in

This week, the Department for Business and Trade confirmed it’s writing to Uber directly about the campaign. That’s not nothing. Government departments don’t usually insert themselves in platform company practices without serious public pressure. Thanks to thousands of Organise members, Uber driver's demands are getting heard.

Here’s what they said:

“I am sorry to hear of the difficulties experienced by signatories to your petition, and I will be writing to Uber directly about this issue.”
_{— The Department for Business and Trade}

The department also made it clear that drivers who qualify as workers have legal rights - like minimum wage and holiday pay. And that companies using AI to make decisions about people’s livelihoods are still responsible for those choices. Accountability doesn’t end with the algorithm.

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This is a win, but the fight isn’t over

This campaign isn’t just about Uber. It’s about who gets to make decisions in the workplace, and what happens when those decisions are automated, outsourced and stripped of humanity.

It’s about Ghulam, a driver who stood outside Uber HQ with a folder full of unanswered emails and a hand-drawn map, just trying to explain what had happened to him. His story was powerful enough to get featured in the Financial Times. But there are thousands of Ghulams out there. And Uber still hasn’t responded.

So here’s what’s next. We’re aiming for 15,000 signatures. Together we can make this campaign impossible to ignore, not just for Uber, but for every gig platform hoping to automate responsibility out of existence.

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Get involved: Sign the petition, then send it to your mates.

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You can read the government's response in full here.