UK judges have rejected Uber's appeal of a landmark employment tribunal ruling that its drivers should be classed as workers with access to the minimum wage and paid holidays.

Uber's standard agreement with its drivers states that they are self-employed independent contractors with few employment rights.  The judges ruled 2-1 that there's was a "high degree of fiction" in the wording of the contract.

"For (Uber) to be stating to its statutory regulator that it is operating a private hire vehicle service in London and is a fit and proper person to do so, while at the same time arguing in this litigation that it is merely an affiliate of a Dutch-registered company which licenses tens of thousands of proprietors of small businesses to use its software, contributes to the air of contrivance and artificiality which pervades Uber's case," read the ruling.

Uber plans to continue its appeal to the UK supreme court.