investigation has uncovered a growing black market for illegal workers to rent accounts on delivery appsA delivery driver hands over your takeaway on a Friday night but you probably don’t give the exchange too much thought.
They also fear that if an official account holder is blocked from using an app because of a complaint, they can go onto rent another account anonymously through the Facebook black market. All three of the food delivery giants currently put the responsibility of background checks for substitutes on the rider who is officially registered to an account.
People using these Facebook channels to find work can pay an up-front deposit and a weekly rental fee, which is usually between £70 to £100 a week, to get a rider account. Buying a profile is less common, with some fetching up to £5,000. There are no caps on how much a rider can charge but the rules state they must pay the courier.
“I have spent a lot of time and a lot of money in the Home Office and they always ask for proof and proof, I deliver it and they reject me”Others claimed they had worked legally before but had then been hit by administrative delays when they renewed their paperwork and had to find a way to keep earning money.changes to immigration rules had confused him and his paperwork had expired.
It’s impossible to know how many riders use a rented account but anecdotally, official delivery workers complain that it is happening in large numbers. “I haven’t reported him as I’m afraid because he knows where I live,” she said. Becca hadn’t checked if he matched the rider’s photo on the app but said knowing he may not be registered with Deliveroo was “a terrifying thought”.
she had a male Uber Eats rider arrive at her front door when the app had shown a woman would be delivering her food. She reported it but got an automated response. “There are also risks for drivers… A system that allows this scale of abuse is clearly failing, this simply isn’t good enough.” One rider was helped by anti-trafficking charity, Hope for Justice. Daniel*, speaking through the charity, said he had paid nearly £15,000 to traffickers who moved him from South America to the UK with the offer of a well-paying job in construction.
Mr Hewitt said: “We have seen cases of criminal gangs who exploit vulnerable people through forced labour using fake profiles on delivery apps, so they get the money from their victims’ work. There are not just concerns for those who have been trafficked into these jobs. Some campaigners say the UK’s immigration rules have created a “hostile environment” for people who can’t prove they have a right to work in the country by blocking their access to public services and pushing them into poverty.: “The UK government’s hostile environment policies make life incredibly difficult for people who don’t have the legal ‘right to work’ or recourse to public funds.
The three companies said they take background checks and lawful working seriously and reject any claims of unduly benefiting from the substitute system.spoke with say those who rent accounts are “desperate” to earn so they do not want to take the financial hit of striking for better conditions and are also willing to pick up the worst paid jobs.
Substitution is a key aspect of self employment and is common among contractors but the Independent Workers’ Union of Great Britain said the substitute scheme was used by gig economy companies to strengthen their case that riders are self-employed rather than employees.
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