Uber, Bolt Drivers in Nigeria form union, receive FG registration certificate

• Uber and Bolt drivers in Nigeria have formed a new union known as the Amalgamated Union of App-Based Transport Workers of Nigeria
• The Nigerian government submitted a registration certificate to the Union through the Minister of Labour, Chris Ngige
• Ngige said the new union is to standardize the informal sector in Nigeria and allow the self-employed to have a voice.

Ride-sharing drivers in Nigeria have formally unionized in an attempt to forge common ground in the country.

The new union was recognized by the Federal Government of Nigeria with the presentation of a certificate of approval by the Minister of Labour, Chris Ngige, on Tuesday 24 January 2023.

New union receives registration certificate

The new union is known as the Amalgamated Union of App-Based Transport Workers of Nigeria (AUATWON).

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The new union is made up of app-based transport workers, online transport services and drivers and electronic call operators.

According to the Minister of Labour, the move is a milestone for Nigerian industry, noting that it is a giant step towards standardizing the country’s informal sector.

ngige said:

“Until now, we have given recognition and certification to workers in the formal sector, including the private sector, such as banks, oil and gas, insurance, among other technical areas.

He indicated that the promoters of the new union applied for registration as a union on April 27, 2021, to meet the needs of self-employed workers in the shared transportation industry.

New union backed by international labor laws

The report quoted Ngige as saying that the Nigerian government took into consideration the necessary parameters, especially the global trend, sponsored mainly by the International Labor Organization (ILO) to regularize the informal sector.

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The Labor chief stated that the ministry decided to register AUATWON to allow the organization of the newer but flourishing segment of the informal economy and allow the government to control the security part of the transport industry in Nigeria.

Ngige noted that the movement to unionize drivers is supported by the international self-employed position.

He said:

“But for the self-employed, it’s a different kind of collective bargaining, tailored to the peculiarities of the self-employed segment.”

The Labor Minister added that it is a collective bargaining tool to traverse Nigeria’s international shores and that such apps are owned by companies based abroad and urged union members to adhere to the provisions of Section 3 of the Commercial Disputes Act, CAP.T8, Laws of the Nigerian Federation.

Adedamola Adeniran is the inaugural president of the new union.

Nigerian woman in pain as Uber driver gives her ‘only’ N5k as ride fare after appointment

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legit.ng reported that a Nigerian woman identified as @redfairylee on Twitter recounted how she was disappointed after going on a date with an Uber driver.

According to her, she had boarded the man’s car at a location and he asked for her number so he could contact her later.

She gave him the number and they planned a date. During the outing, Fairy and the Uber driver ate N34,000 worth of food and he gladly paid.

Source: Legit.ng