London | Uber’s defeat in Britain on Friday (Saturday AEDT), where the Supreme Court ruled that drivers are entitled to worker rights, was a major victory for labour activists in Australia, the United States and Europe who are pushing for better wages and stronger protections for gig economy workers.

The court’s decision, the latest in a string of confrontations between labour groups and gig economy companies in courtrooms and parliaments around the world, poses an existential threat to Uber and other companies that rely on a sprawling labour force of independent contractors to provide car rides, deliver food and clean homes.