- within Employment and HR topic(s)
- within Compliance topic(s)
Background
Ride-booking has become an extremely popular form of transit in the last decade. However, while enjoying a high degree of flexibility, ride-booking drivers have not historically received the same employment rights in the UK as a typical employee. In February 2021, the UK Supreme Court issued a ruling classifying ride-booking drivers as "workers" in the context of employment law. The "worker" status made UK ride-booking drivers immediately eligible for future and retroactive holiday pay, among other benefits.
At the same time, plaintiff lawyers were actively onboarding drivers from this ride-booking service to file employment tribunal claims against their employer for owed retroactive pay. To avoid protracted litigation and maintain goodwill with their valued driver fleet, the ride-booking service decided to proactively engage with non-represented drivers and make offers. Ankura was hired to create a vital public website and claims portal that allowed drivers to review their eligibility, submit claims, review and execute their personal offers, and initiate and track their payments.
Ankura Involvement
As an experienced settlement administrator, Ankura successfully addressed a unique set of business challenges in the following manners:
- Developed and implemented claim workflow, protocols, eligibility reviews, offer issuance, claimant support, release processing, and payment file generation on a large scale and at an unprecedented speed.
- Designed and published a public website within a short timeline that had the capability to provide drivers with real-time support, claim status updates, issue email notifications, and allow eligible drivers to review their offers.
- Enabled the client to securely search claimant data, review claims, offer and generate driver-specific releases through Ankura's ClaimsOnline administration system.
Valued Delivered
This UK ride sharing service saved millions of pounds in costs and shed far more in potential liability, all while maintaining goodwill with their valued drivers by issuing payments months or even years sooner than going through the court system.
Drivers were quickly provided a website with online features that (after verifying their identity) allowed them to schedule mandated "know your rights" seminars and sign documents after they accepted their offer. The site was able to keep track of attendance and process both acceptances and rejections.
ClaimsOnlinewas able to consistently issue payment files and generate automated reports to keep counsel informed of the latest claimant metrics and settlement progress.
About Mass Torts & Settlement Administration
At Ankura, we deliver tailored solutions to meet the complex demands of mass tort and class action litigation. With deep experience in some of the largest cases in history, we provide expert consulting to all parties involved. Our multidisciplinary team ensures accurate, defensible damage assessments and operationalizes complex settlements with efficiency and equity. We also leverage proprietary technology, including our ClaimsOnline platform, to help clients navigate even the most challenging litigation landscapes.
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