The Karnataka High Court on Monday restrained the Ola TaxiForSure and Uber (OTU) Drivers' and Owners' Union from disrupting services of Uber, the app-based cab service, for eight weeks even as the strike is set to hit the seventh day.
Leader of another union told DH that drivers dismissed Uber’s allegation and said it was not any union but individual drivers who caused disruption.
“We will file a counter-petition in the high court listing the problems drivers are facing due to the marketing strategy of Ola and Uber. In their rush to woo customers, both the companies are offering rides at low rates and reducing our earnings day by day,” he said.
Drivers accused Uber and Ola of not complying with the rules such as installing panic buttons, fare meters and other measures related to passenger safety. “We will include all this in the petition tomorrow,” he said.
Drivers were planning to meet former chief minister H D Kumaraswamy at 11 am and consult him before filing the petition. Earlier in the day, Justice B Veerappa passed an order hearing a miscellaneous first appeal (MFA) filed by Uber India Systems Private Limited and others.
The appellants had approached the sessions court accusing the union members of disrupting the services by blocking the drivers associated with the aggregators and snatching their devices. The appellant had sought injunction orders against the union members. The drivers had staged a protest in front of the Uber offices. The lower court had granted an injunction order on February 15, 2017 restraining the union members to stay 500 meters away from the office premises.
Later, the appellants approached the high court seeking direction to restrain the union members from disrupting the business of Uber and to allow those drivers who are ready to work for the aggregators.
The judge, granting an interim order, restrained the union members from holding any illegal protests and ordered emergent notice OTU drivers' union, Tanveer Pasha, president of the union and Ashok Kumar, union member.
