South African e-hailing union slams Uber over abrupt Nigeria exit, disregard for African markets

The National E-hailing Federation of South Africa (NEFSA) has slammed the ride-hailing company, Uber, over its hasty and abrupt shutdown in Nigeria, describing it as “socio-economic abandonment”. The Federation disclosed this in a statement to Technext, signed by its General Secretary, Omar Parker.

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The statement also highlighted Uber’s simultaneous exit from Uganda, describing it as a coordinated abandonment of East and West Africa. The Federation said the abrupt and unilateral decision to exit both Nigeria and Uganda will devastate the livelihoods of thousands of families.

“The socio-economic impact on workers will be significantly grave, especially for the many thousands who have indebted themselves through high vehicle financing and exorbitant vehicle lease agreements to meet platform requirements. Workers are left with debt, but without income. With deactivated apps, but with their data still held captive,” NEFSA said.

The union also pointed out that the exits violate and abuse app-based workers’ fundamental rights at work as defined by the International Labour Organisation (ILO).

Uber exits an impunity that has become a practice across Africa

​The NEFSA also said Uber’s exits across Africa are not isolated commercial decisions, but an impunity that has become practice across the continent. The union noted that the company has, over the last period, also pulled out of Côte d’Ivoire and Tanzania under similar conditions of no worker consultation, no compensation, and no data accountability.

“We must now ask: Who is next in line? South Africa? Kenya? Ghana? When will African governments say enough is enough?” NEFSA said.

The Federation said that the lack of political will on the part of African governments to clamp down on this apparent impunity and exploitation can only mean one of two things – an unholy alliance between big capital and the political elite tied by complacency and/or collusion.

​”A company that can enter our countries, extract labour and data, push workers into debt, and then vanish overnight – retaining their identities as an asset is operating above the law,” the South African drivers’ union said.

As such, the union is calling on the ​African Union (AU), ECOWAS, and the East African Community (EAC) to urgently enact a Continental Code on Responsible Platform Exit that would guarantee there are no more exits without worker consultation, debt relief, and data deletion.

​It is also calling on the Nigerian and Ugandan governments to enforce immediate data deletion and compensate indebted workers. Lastly, it is calling on its home government in South Africa to ensure that the Information Regulator summons all major platforms to submit their exit and data protection plans NOW, before South African drivers become the next victims.

Finally, NEFSA expressed solidarity with Nigerian drivers as well as their union, the Amalgamated Union of App-based Transporters of Nigeria (AUATON), stating that the exit of Uber must not translate to the exploitation of African workers and their data.