It's official; a French court has decided in favor of Uber that drivers of the ridesharing platform provider are independent contractors and not employees. Since France is a member state of the European Union, this court finding might have bigger implications than just local ones.
This decision is the result of a court case made by an Uber driver in France. Th driver claimed that he should be considered an Uber employee and be paid accordingly. He worked for Uber from 2014 to 2016 and covered some 4,000 rides. His claim was to be paid for reimbursement of "undeclared work" as well as social benefits that Uber employees enjoy.
The French court was not impressed or swayed by the driver's argument, and on January 29th, 2018 ruled against the driver. This comes after the December decision by the European Court of Justice ruled that Uber is a transportation service and must be regulated like any other taxi service.
On the flip side, and maybe due to Brexit, the London Transport Authority and Labor Courts are deliberating whether to accept the drivers claims to be paid a minimum wage and holiday pay. If the decision goes in favor of the drivers, then the UK will be the first and only country that recognizes drivers as employees of Uber.