Deliveroo riders in Britain have lost a high court battle for union recognition. The ruling upholds a previous decision that the riders are self-employed, rather than employees of the company.

The outcome is seen as a setback to trade unions and other campaigners who are seeking to protect workers’ rights and introduce basic benefits like annual leave and sick leave in the ‘gig economy’.

The Independent Workers Union of Great Britain had argued that the company’s refusal to engage in collective bargaining breached the rights of Deliveroo riders under the European convention on human rights. But the court ruled that the riders were not in an ‘employment relationship’ in the context of European human rights law.