© BELGAIMAGE
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The Brussels Labor Prosecutor’s Office has opened a series of criminal investigations into the status of undocumented couriers, who work with front men that they reimburse themselves. That writes L’Echo on Saturday.
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evdgSource: BELGIAN
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The magistrates are paying particular attention to sans-papiers who work as couriers, their intermediaries and major meal delivery platforms, led by Uber Eats and Deliveroo.
According to L’Echo, the labor prosecutor has launched several criminal investigations against undocumented bicycle couriers and their front men. On the basis of reports prepared by the local police zones, investigations have so far been launched into the employment of people without residence permits and of people who are not registered with the Social Security – violations of the “type 4”, the most serious in the Social Criminal Code.
The investigators suspect that the intermediaries who give their names to the migrants who work as couriers are demanding half of their income. This leaves only an hourly rate of 2.5 euros for the couriers.
The Labor Prosecutor declined to comment further on the file to L’Echo.
The investigations will largely depend on the labor court’s ruling in the Deliveroo case, which is expected in mid-December. In it, the labor prosecutor asks that the contracts of the couriers be revalued, from “service provider in the sharing economy” to employees, which would give them much better social protection.
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