Thousands of Just Eat couriers are taking legal action against the food delivery company in an attempt to gain better employment rights including the minimum wage and holiday pay. More than 7,000 individuals have joined an employment tribunal that will determine if the couriers are classed as workers, a status that comes with improved rights, or self-employed independent contractors.
Employment Tribunal Details
The tribunal, which begins on Tuesday and is scheduled to run until 2 June, will hear claims from couriers who argue they should be entitled to worker status. A judgment is expected later in 2026. This legal challenge is being led by Leigh Day, the law firm that successfully represented Addison Lee drivers in a similar case last year, securing rights including holiday pay and the national minimum wage.
Just Eat's Position
Just Eat dismissed approximately 1,700 couriers in the UK in 2023 when it reverted to a gig economy model, ending its “Scoober” experiment that offered guaranteed minimum pay, sick pay, and holiday pay in six cities across the UK and Europe. Under Scoober, couriers who handled less than 5% of UK orders were provided with e-bikes or e-mopeds and could operate from a central hub. A Just Eat spokesperson stated: “In the UK, Just Eat partners with over 70,000 self-employed couriers who choose to work with us for the flexibility and freedom that we offer. When and how often couriers deliver from our restaurant, retail and grocery partners is up to them, and is reflective of their status as self-employed contractors.”
Legal and Regulatory Context
The action follows a 2024 ruling in favour of Bolt drivers and a 2021 Supreme Court decision that improved rights for Uber drivers. The UK government recently established the Fair Work Agency (FWA) to enhance oversight of employment rights. A report for the new agency identified the gig economy, alongside construction and social care, as high-risk areas where workers “often experience precarious conditions, systemic barriers to redress.” Currently, HMRC enforces the national minimum wage but will transfer these powers to the FWA in 2027.
Nigel Mackay, Leigh Day’s joint head of employment and discrimination, commented: “Whilst we might hope that the new agency will be more willing to challenge gig economy operators, it may be that, as is often the case now, individuals will first need to bring a tribunal claim to show that they are a worker and therefore entitled to the national minimum wage, before enforcement takes place.”
Government Reforms
The government has pledged to consult on simplifying the various levels of employment status—from employee, which grants full rights, to worker status with limited protection, and self-employed with almost none. Campaigners argue that the lack of clarity has led to people being falsely classified as self-employed. A consultation on changing the system was expected early this year, but no date has been set. New legislation under the Employment Rights Act, effective last month, has improved conditions for employees and workers but has not yet been fully published.
Just Eat said: “We support the government’s intentions to reform the UK’s current employment framework and see this as an opportunity to recognise the tech-enabled work that we, and other platform businesses, offer today.” Just Eat was acquired by South African-owned internet investor Prosus for €4.1 billion in early 2025.
