London — Uber Technologies has said its UK drivers would face broad changes if required to be classified as employees with benefits, a sign the company is considering alternatives to its labour model amid tighter scrutiny from regulators. Uber would become more like a private-hire car service that exerts more control over when and where drivers work, Andrew Byrne, the head of public policy for Uber in the UK told a parliamentary hearing on Tuesday. The statement was a rare instance in which Uber said how it may adjust if a government implements new labour laws, a threat the company’s business is facing in various cities around the world. "It would change the nature of the relationship we would have with drivers," he said, adding that classifying drivers as employees would add "tens of millions" in additional costs, including national health insurance taxes, and paying for covering minimum pay, sick and vacation time, as well as maternity and paternity leave. The company generated $1...
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