The new chapter in the conflict between local authorities and the multinational company Uber. In Brussels, the Court of Appeal ordered a ban on operating in the capital, Belgium, following a complaint by one of the largest local taxi companies. This time, as in Spain or London, the Belgian judiciary has not decided on the exclusion of staff status for workers working on the sites, but much about the structure of the competition. According to the court, Uber violates regional rules by avoiding the need to have a taxi license to take people.
An earlier decision last spring had already established that the US company was illegal because the races requested via a smartphone were not transmitted in Brussels by radio transmitters designated for taxis. Uber reacted by releasing Pasooka: the platform immediately suspended its application and last weekend pushed its 2,000 self-employed drivers into the streets. It has been organizing rallies in recent days in the Belgian capital, Dorma.
Paradoxically, the issue now threatens the ruling coalition – a large coalition between socialists, environmentalists and right-wing parties – in the Brussels region. For the most part, Flemish liberals are pushing for an interim agreement that will allow Uber drivers to continue working. The PS, which holds the post of minister-president of the region, condemned a speech that was controversial “Ordered by Uber”.
“Temporary” legalization
Henceforth, this “temporary” legitimacy, backed by the opposition, provokes the fury of duly fired taxi drivers who take to the streets. “We are talking about the Blaster order as if the court ruling was an injury, Sam Bouchel, general secretary of the Brussels Federation of Taxis (BTF), was angry with the newspaper company Belca. The judiciary recognizes that Uber is a fraudulent organization, and the legislature is directly considering violating court rulings by creating new legislation aimed at distorting the model of our society. ” The Brussels taxi manager adds: “Under the pretext of modernity, we agree to bring back working conditions that existed in the early 19th century.e Century. If this upliftment is accepted in our field, it will spread easily elsewhere. ”