Heathrow Airport is expected to face disruption on Thursday, 1 May, as private hire drivers working for apps such as Uber and Bolt prepare to strike and block passenger collections ahead of the bank holiday weekend.
The action is part of a coordinated 24-hour global strike demanding fair pay, improved working conditions, and greater protections for gig economy drivers.
The Independent Workers of Great Britain (IWGB), the union organising the protest, warn that passengers arriving at Heathrow on Thursday may be at risk of travel chaos as drivers prepare to refuse rides and block pick-up access from 7am to 9am.
The action will mark the start of a full-day strike across multiple UK cities – including London, Newcastle, Bristol, and Manchester – during which thousands of drivers are set to log off their apps.
They will be joined by drivers in the US, Nigeria, and Uruguay, in a show of global solidarity against exploitation in the gig economy, to coincide with International Workers Day.
According to the IWGB, drivers are being pushed to breaking point by plummeting fares, punishing hours, and a lack of basic protections.
The union says that many report serious impacts on their mental health, relationships, and physical wellbeing as a result of low-paid, precarious work. Demands from the drivers striking on 1 May include higher base fares and fairer pay structures, protection against unfair account deactivations, and better safety measures.
Private hire drivers in London have already taken to the streets multiple times this month to protest over severe delays to the Transport for London (TfL) licensing system, which are estimated to have left thousands in the capital out of work – many for months. The IWGB says it has been contacted by over 800 drivers affected by the delays, many of whom have been pushed into debt and destitution as a result.
Nader Awaad, Chair of the IWGB Private Hire Drivers, said, “Drivers around the world today are not living but surviving – we’re hanging on by a thread. There are hidden epidemics of depression, chronic pain and broken relationships plaguing the workforce, because of unhealthily long hours spent on the road trying to scrape a living.
“And pay isn’t the only thing that causes us stress – we live with the constant threat of losing our income if our accounts are unfairly deactivated, and the anxiety that, with no proper safety protections, we might be the next driver to face violent assault.
“We can’t afford to stay silent any longer, so we will use every tool at our disposal to disrupt business as usual until we make our voices heard. The shareholders at the top of this industry think they can get away with devastating drivers’ lives to fund their luxury lifestyles, but workers around the world have had enough, and are uniting across borders to send a powerful message this May Day. This is a global fightback against a broken system.”
Kambiz Hemati, a driver of 12 years, said, “I don’t think the riders who get in the back of our cars know what life is really like for most of us. I work seven days a week, but only take home three days’ worth of pay after Uber’s commission and the cost and maintenance of my car is taken out.
“There have been times when I can’t sleep at night because of the stress. But I refuse to let Uber destroy my family’s lives – I’m standing up alongside thousands of other drivers across the UK and the rest of the world to take power back into our hands.”
