The Home Office have announced that three major food delivery companies, Deliveroo, Just Eat and Uber Eats are to undertake enhanced security checks to prevent illegal working.
There appears to have been a major increase of illegal working with these companies, with some driver’s accounts being shared by others. Some drivers have taken advantage of the system to avoid completing right to work checks. This relates to those that are not permitted to work, or alternatively, there are some skilled worker visas who use the companies for additional income. This is not permitted under the immigration rules as delivery driver jobs are not an eligible occupation.
The government has made a concerted effort to crack down on illegal working in recent times, with enforcement visits rising by 68% last year and arrests more than doubling. Meanwhile, returns of people who have no right to be in the UK has increased by two-thirds.
Comments by the delivery companies
The three delivery companies have commented on the announcement as follows:
A Deliveroo spokesperson said:
“We take our responsibilities extremely seriously and are committed to strengthening our controls to prevent misuse of our platform.
We are the first major platform to roll out direct right to work checks, a registration process and identity verification technology to ensure that only substitutes with right to work can continue riding on our platform.”
They added, “We will continue to work in close collaboration with the Home Office and leaders in industry to support efforts in this area.”
An Uber Eats spokesperson said:
At Uber Eats we are going to roll out identity verification checks to help ensure only those who legitimately use someone else’s account to earn with us are able to, and we are pleased to be working with government to find a solution.
A Just Eat spokesperson said:
We take our responsibilities on this issue seriously and have high expectations for couriers delivering on our behalf which is why we’re continuing our work together with industry and policymakers to develop a solution which will ensure couriers substituting their work do so in accordance with the law.
The gig economy, which food delivery companies are a major part of, has often resisted regulation of the sector. For instance, efforts by Uber drivers to be classed as workers rather than self-employed contractors were met with great resistance. However, the Supreme Court later held that Uber drivers are workers, granting them a host of new rights.
Ultimately, ensuring that substitute deliver drivers have the right to work in the UK will provide reassurance to both customers and employers.
We at Lisa’s Law will keep you updated on any new developments.
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