Delivery apps Deliveroo, Uber Eats and JustEat have agreed to impose increased immigration checks on people working as passengers on their apps following pressure from the UK government.
The three platforms will increase theirs Right to work checks after scrutiny over account-sharing practices increased, resulting in high-profile incidents including the death of a 17-year-old boy and a customer biting off a driver’s thumb.
The change goals to discover and goal “replacement drivers” who’ve made deliveries on another person’s account.
When you order food from Deliveroo, Uber Eats or Just Eat, there’s a very good probability the person delivering to you doesn’t match the account name you got if you ordered.
Under British law, self-employed persons are allowed to switch themselves with one other employee to perform a job. Companies like Deliveroo have long referred to this law when asked in regards to the practice.
But opponents say it opens the door for people who find themselves legally unable to work due to barriers akin to their citizenship status or age to simply pick up shifts on the platform.
“We are committed to tackling uncontrolled account sharing – and this meeting was a very positive step in the right direction,” said Michael Tomlinson, UK minister for tackling illegal migration.
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The UK government’s intervention comes as delivery platforms face intense pressure following several high-profile incidents involving their alternative drivers.
This has been brought into the highlight in recent months by the case of Jennifer Rocha, who faces a jail sentence after biting off the thumb of Deliveroo customer Stephen Jenkinson following a heated argument.
Roche, who can be sentenced on Friday, was working instead driver for an additional Deliveroo account in December when she delivered a pizza to Jenkinson.
Jenkinson, a plumber, told the BBC that he had lost his livelihood after the incident.
However, Jenkinson was unable to go to Deliveroo and claim compensation.
Because while Roche was legally allowed to work within the UK because she was working instead driver, Deliveroo couldn’t be held legally accountable for her actions.
“Financially I am ruined. I am unemployed. I have huge debts and I don’t see any light at the end of the tunnel,” Jenkinson told the BBC.
Activists accused delivery platforms of turning a blind eye to the activities of alternative drivers.
Previous investigations found that children were repeatedly working for the platform, resulting in a tragic end for one driver.
Leo, whose last name was not given, began Renting a Deliveroo account by one other driver when he was 15.
When he was 17, Leo was killed on a rented motorcycle. When he died, he had already worked for the corporate for 2 years, despite the fact that the minimum age for Deliveroo riders is eighteen.
“We are the first major platform to introduce direct work authorization checks, a registration process and identity verification technology to ensure only deputies with work authorization can continue to ride on our platform,” a Deliveroo spokesperson said.
“We will continue to work closely with the Home Office and industry leaders to support efforts in this area.”
Legal loopholes surrounding the self-employment industry have created something of a Wild West for employees’ rights, particularly on delivery platforms.
A Investigation According to a 2021 study by the Bureau for Investigative Journalism, a 3rd of drivers earn £2 an hour.
A government crackdown can be more likely to be a part of the UK’s crackdown on immigration ahead of the expected general election within the autumn.
In its press release, the federal government argued that the chance to work illegally was one in every of the most important “pull factors” for illegal immigration to the UK
