The Belgian government believe that more than half of restaurant delivery riders in the country lack the appropriate work permits to work. This news comes amidst a government investigation where PostNL’s Belgian operations are accused of people trafficking and employing illegal workers.

The Brussels Labour Auditors Office is investigating the working conditions of couriers working into restaurant delivery businesses. In one survey it discovered that 55% of them lacked appropriate Belgian residence permits. Deliveroo and Uber Eats, that dominate the market in Brussels have been highlighted as being most in breach of the labour labour laws, but other players have been targeted by Belgian authorities too. However, a total of just 43 delivery drivers’ credentials have been checked, 24 of whom were not in compliance with their conditions of residence – a small cohort to make such estimates.

The restaurant delivery companies are not at direct fault. It is known that individuals with legal paperwork sign up to work with the companies and subcontract the actual work to others for a fee in a similar way to an agency. The same approach is believed to have taken place at PostNL. For those who are working illegally, they are taking home as little as €2.50 an hour thanks to the cut their contarctors take from their income.

“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, said.