Uber loses employment rights case

London: US ride-hailing app Uber on Friday lost a landmark case in Britain that would give drivers the right to paid holidays and the national minimum wage, lawyers representing the claimants said.

The London employment tribunal rejected Uber´s appeal against an October 2016 ruling in a case that is being closely watched for the wider implications for Britain´s booming "gig economy".

"Our clients have fought tirelessly to gain the rights that they clearly should have been afforded from the outset," Paul Jennings from law firm Bates Wells Braithwaite said in a statement.