More than half of Brussels meal couriers are illegal

More than half of the food couriers in Brussels do not have a valid residence permit and therefore work illegally, the Brussels Labour Auditor’s Office says. The finding also worries the platforms themselves.

Known form of exploitation

Brussels continues to investigate the working conditions of meal delivery companies and bicycle couriers for companies such as Deliveroo and Uber Eats. After previous criminal investigations in 2021, the judicial authorities are now carrying out checks on the papers of delivery drivers, L’Echo reports.

Random checks by the labour inspectorate showed that 55 % of the couriers were operating without a valid residence permit. Couriers from all types of meal platforms were audited, but as Deliveroo and Uber Eats dominate the market, they were checked most often. Nevertheless, only a limited number of couriers were inspected: a total of 43 delivery drivers have been inspected since the beginning of the year, 24 of whom were not in compliance with their residence permit.

The Brussels Labour Inspectorate is not even surprised by the results, as this is a known phenomenon. The illegal immigrants do not work for the delivery platforms themselves, but for – and instead of – the official self-employed couriers, in exchange for a (large) part of their salary. The phenomenon is similar to what has already been observed in companies such as PostNL. Since the couriers are in the country illegally, they are sometimes forced to give up more than half of their salary, leaving as little as 2.50 euros per hour.

Facial recognition against human trafficking

“What is very disturbing is that the irregularities recently found are more serious than those found in the past”, Fabrizio Antioco, spokesman for the Brussels auditorate, told L’Echo. Although the case is complex from a legal and technical point of view, as it requires many different audits, it is a priority for the Brussels labour auditorate. In the case of PostNL, the subcontractors in question and some managers are now accused of human trafficking.

The issue is also a painful one for the meal platforms. Deliveroo claims to have a zero tolerance policy and is increasingly carrying out its own checks. Already 400 couriers have been inspected and the meal platform is checking whether couriers’ accounts are being manipulated. Several couriers’ accounts have already been cancelled. The company is even developing facial recognition technology to prevent this type of fraud.