Swiss perspectives in 10 languages

Swiss court finds in favour of Uber

car dashboard
Uber drivers: in the driver's seat, or in need of social protection? © KEYSTONE / SALVATORE DI NOLFI

Zurich’s Social Security Court has found that Uber drivers in Switzerland are not employed by a Swiss company; instead they have a contract with a Dutch firm.

In 2016, the Swiss Accident Insurance Fund External linkSUVAExternal link opened a court case arguing that Uber Switzerland GmbH was the employer of any Swiss-based Uber drivers, and should therefore be required to pay social security contributions. 

+ Four Swiss cities have Uber so far; Bern will be the fifth

However, according to the Zurich court, Uber drivers in Switzerland have signed with the subsidiary Rasier Operations BV, a company based in the Netherlands, in order to receive their share of the carfare paid by customers. The customers, in turn, interact directly with Uber International. 

In its decision made on July 10 and reported on by Swiss public television, SRFExternal link, on Monday, the court wrote that SUVA would have to find out who actually employs the Uber drivers – if anyone. UberExternal link, a Californian company, says that its drivers are not employees but independent contractors.

More


 

Popular Stories

Most Discussed

News

Ski tourer dies in Sion hospital after avalanche accident

More

Young skier dies in avalanche in Swiss Alps

This content was published on A 27-year-old ski tourer has died in the hospital in Sion, in southwestern Switzerland, after being caught in an avalanche on Saturday.

Read more: Young skier dies in avalanche in Swiss Alps
The number of job offers decreases in 2024

More

Swiss job market faces drop in vacancies

This content was published on Job vacancies in Switzerland fell by 10% in 2024, marking the first negative annual balance since the Covid-19 pandemic, says Adecco.

Read more: Swiss job market faces drop in vacancies

In compliance with the JTI standards

More: SWI swissinfo.ch certified by the Journalism Trust Initiative

You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!

If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.

SWI swissinfo.ch - a branch of Swiss Broadcasting Corporation SRG SSR

SWI swissinfo.ch - a branch of Swiss Broadcasting Corporation SRG SSR