Uber drivers protest in Zurich over working conditions
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Uber drivers protest in Zurich over working conditions
More than 100 Uber drivers protested in Zurich on Monday morning over poor working conditions. They said they wanted to shake up the politicians.
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Income had fallen by 60% in the past three years, said a driver at the protest near the road traffic office in Zurich. The politicians were doing nothing about it, he said, asking “what would they say if they earned so much less?”
Representatives from the Syna trade union were also present at the 8am strike. However, the drivers organised the action themselves. That was unusual, said one of the union members. He called for the next action to be organised in front of the cantonal parliament.
The Uber drivers arrived in their cars, many of them in the Mercedes and Toyota Prius taxis typical of Zurich. Taxi lights were attached to many of the cars.
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Competition drives down prices
Over the course of the day, many drivers decided not to accept rides in order to make a statement. It remains to be seen how many will take part. An internal letter, which was made available to Blick newspaper, spoke of 800 to 1,000 drivers.
The background to the strike is the new competitor Bolt, which has been advertising lower prices on the Zurich market since 2024. Uber followed suit, but it officially says that drivers can set their own prices. Drivers and trade unionists rejected this on Monday, saying that the prices are fixed. Drivers could also not afford to refuse journeys.
Translated from German by DeepL/ts
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