Uber drivers hold protest in Newcastle city centre over pay and conditions

Around 100 Newcastle Uber drivers held a protest over pay and conditions outside the Uber office in Cloth Market, in Newcastle city centre, on Tuesday lunchtime.

Demands for better pay were chanted from drivers, who criticised the company for 'driving them into poverty' and unfair termination, causing high stress on drivers.

Chaudhry Wasim Sultan, an Uber driver based in Newcastle, told ChronicleLive: "The purpose of this protest is to highlight the issue of low fares for drivers, which have not been adjusted in line with rising inflation.

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"This situation has placed significant financial strain on drivers like myself and others, making it increasingly difficult to sustain a fair livelihood. We believe it is essential to raise awareness about these challenges and advocate for change."

Driver Arkadiusz Plottke, who has driven with Uber for more than nine years, explained: "Uber is slashing the price down. We're getting paid less than we did a few months ago so we want better rate."

"They're deactivating drivers but aren't telling us the reason why, only saying 'there was a problem' and we want an explanation so we can appeal."

Abdul Khan, a driver with Uber for the past two years added: "Conditions used to be good. We could manage to pay our bills, expenses, insurance, and car fuel every week."

However he explained things have taken a turn: "So now we're spending more than 12-14 hours a day working and Uber is charging a lot of commission. Drivers are getting paid about £12 for a 10 mile job which is unfair and their passengers are getting charged about £35-£40 for that journey."

He added: "So we are here today to protest against unfair policy from Uber including the high commission rates, reducing earning and basic worker protection."

Uber has been contacted for comment.