The Amalgamated Union of App-based Transport Workers of Nigeria, which comprises drivers of e-hailing companies like Uber & Bolt, commenced a nationwide protest today, Wednesday, June 7th.
The company’s plan is to withdraw the services of its drivers from the general public today. This is coming after the hike in the price of fuel in the country, and the drivers have complained about the low fare increase by the ride-hailing transport companies, which affects the drivers.
The statement the union passed is that the increase in transport fare by the app-based firms stood between 25 to 30 per cent, which was far from the union’s demand for a 200 per cent increase and a 50 per cent reduction in commission, respectively.
Some of the drivers from Bolt and Uber noted that they informed the companies about their inability to work within these new conditions and to reduce their commissions. Now, the drivers have embarked on a nationwide strike, urging all app-based workers across the nation to be prepared to strike until their needs have been granted.
Part of the union’s statement read:
“The union’s technical team is versed with the operation and technicality of ride-hailing companies, and on our calculations, any app company can break even charging below five percent even though the union recommended a flat commission of 10 percent or 50 percent off their current commission during our last meeting, as we believe this will help us to cope with maintenance costs, spare parts and various overhead cost and the current fuel increase.”
The letter went further to state the union’s interest, saying:
“We can no longer tolerate any act of dictatorial practices by any app company because we are workers and as an organized union, we have written several letters to these companies for a round table discussion where we can look at various areas of concern and dialogue, but they have remained adamant with a deliberate intention to avoid responsibility.
“So, as a result of this insensitivity, the union is directing all its members across the nation to shut down their service on all ride-hailing applications from Wednesday, June 7, 2023, in protest against every dictatorial practice and lack of concern for welfare and security of App-Based Transport workers of Nigeria.”
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