UK Delivery Firms Tighten Checks on Migrant Workers

Deliveroo, Uber Eats, and Just Eat have agreed to implement stricter security measures on their platforms, including enhanced facial recognition and fraud detection, to combat illegal working by migrants and asylum seekers. The changes follow government pressure after reports and investigations uncovered widespread abuses, particularly account sharing and subletting among individuals in asylum hotels. Despite introducing voluntary 'right to work' checks in the past year, significant abuse has persisted, prompting a move to more frequent and sophisticated verification within 90 days. Just Eat will move from monthly to daily checks, while Deliveroo and Uber Eats will expand the scope and complexity of their security measures. Government officials stressed a zero-tolerance approach due to the impact on legal workers, business integrity, and links to people smuggling. The companies reaffirmed their commitment to ongoing collaboration with authorities to prevent misuse of their platforms.