NLC challenges Uber, Bolt to justify 20-25% commission, insists drivers are workers

As drivers continue to demand better welfare from taxi app-hailing companies like Uber and Bolt, the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) has challenged the app companies to justify why they deserve the 20 per cent and 25 per cent commission they extract per trip from drivers operating on their platforms.

The Chairperson of the Lagos Chapter of the NLC, Comrade Agnes Sessi, made the call during a joint press briefing with the leaders of the Amalgamated Union of App-based Transporters of Nigeria (AUATON) Lagos Council.

According to her, the structure of the commission from the ride-hailing companies is killing the drivers and making it difficult for them to earn a reasonable income. This is particularly distressing considering that the app companies do not provide vehicles for drivers.

“They will bring everything themselves. You are the owner of your vehicle. You will fuel your vehicle, repair it, and when police, LASTMA, or FRSC harass you, you will settle the matter. You do the documentation. The only thing the app companies do is refer riders. And then they are now exploiting them by getting 25 to 30 per cent. It is an exploitative commission. It is too much,” Comrade Sessi said.

She also challenged the companies to demonstrate the value that they are providing with the huge commissions. According to her, they do not provide training, safety equipment, or welfare packages like health insurance for the drivers.

“You are milking them dry. We have seen situations where these drivers slump while driving. Some of them will drive from morning till night and can only go home with N5,000. There is no form of health insurance for them, no protection; you expose them to all vices. You are treating these workers like modern-day slaves, even in their fatherland, and that is why we are saying enough is enough,” Comrade Sessi said.

NLC insists Uber/inDrive/Bolt drivers are workers

The Lagos NLC chairperson went on to attack the notion put forward by app companies that drivers are not their workers, explaining that it was a travesty that drivers would be driving for 12 hours a day, conveying the customers of the app companies, only to be told at the end of the day that they are not workers.

She described it as unfortunate that ride-hailing companies think people struggling to make ends meet, leaving their homes very early in the morning and returning late at night, doing legitimate work to make a living and support their families, are not workers.

“So we are correcting all these app-based companies that indeed, drivers are also working for you to create wealth for you. As they are making their money, a chunk of it is coming to the app-based companies. At least if you put all that you are getting from these people together, you are raking in billions of naira through their hard work,” she said.

She stressed that this was one of the reasons why the AUATON took its petition to the Lagos State Assembly in its fight for justice and protection from the app companies. She also noted that the drivers are demanding safety and other dignity that comes with labour.

She noted that many drivers have been robbed, many have been attacked and killed in the line of duty, while many have disappeared without a trace. Yet, despite this, the app companies have refused to put in place proper verification for riders.

“If the app-based companies profile the drivers, what of the riders? Do they have any verification or identity of the riders that they also need to share with the drivers in case of any eventuality? Most of the time, those riders get away with criminality. And when the drivers have been exposed to the danger and evil of the work, there is nothing like compensation. There is no compensation whatsoever when issues arise, like when they are attacked or when they are killed,” she said.

Narrating fresh incidents of attacks and murder of a driver, she knocked the e-hailing companies like Uber and Bolt for their lack of empathy, noting that they didn’t have the decency to console the victims’ families.

She also challenged the company to explain how their insurance works on every trip, stating that they always fail the drivers whenever they fall victim, which was the purpose of the insurance in the first place.

“That insurance coverage has never been provided for the family, either it is life insurance or it is insurance on the vehicle, you have never provided it for all the drivers attacked by the criminal elements you profile as riders,” Comrade Sessi finished.

See also: NLC calls for legislation to regulate Uber, Bolt, inDrive operations in Lagos