Uber, Bolt drivers get NLC, TUC, ILAW, Solidarity Centre support against unfair labour treatment

The International Lawyers Assisting Workers Network (ILAW) in collaboration with Solidarity Centre,  AFL-CIO and organised labour (NLC and TUC), have forged a formidable force to fight against unfair labour practices meted on informal sector workers of App drivers in Nigeria.

According to the Regional Coordinator ILAW, Jacqueline Wamai, the collaboration is move aimed at fostering better protect and as well to defend the welfare and rights of Uber and Bolt drivers in the country.

Wamai at a strategy meeting tagged: ‘Defending Workers in Digital Platforms,’ on Tuesday 14 December, 2021 in Abuja, hinted that ILAW is ready to go all out to protect the workers’ rights, she however noted the need to better understand the issues in order to be in a position to maximise existing opportunities and minimise the challenges they foresee.

She said: “It is important to understand what are the opportunities, what will be the challenges and outcomes we really want for litigation so we are supporting the litigations at the appeal level.

“It is a necessity for them to have a better life  and that can be gotten from the organising aspect that the solidarity centre is really supporting it’s partners in doing.

“We could get a good judgement but again, we need  good unions which will play a very big role in carrying out the enforcement of the judgements because the judgement without enforcement won’t really make an impact on society so we need to start strategizing on how to build back better for digital platforms because we are talking about the future generations here.”

The Director ILAW, Jeff Vogt who noted that globally workers were breaking grounds and having their demands met through organising, advocacy campaigns and litigation, was optimistic that the strategy meeting would  come up with a workable strategy that would guide their actions to support platform workers in Nigeria.

“When digital platforms like Uber were launched in South Africa in 2012, Nigeria in 2014 and Kenya in 2015, it came with promise of financial freedom and flexibility in these countries. On the contrary, drivers around the world  have testified of low wages, long hours, threats of physical violence and verbal abuse, and the lack of control over the terms and conditions.

“Indeed, the platform company makes decision around rates of pay and commissions and uses the algorithm to push drivers to keep working or be suspended from the platform. And under constant surveillance, when workers seek to organise, they can be deplatformed which means being dismissed.

“Despite their arguments, these platform companies are clearly employers and engage drivers in a traditional employment relationship. Recognising this is the first step in improving the conditions of drivers, and indeed all other similarly workers who are providing their labour through an app.”

On his part, the Country Program Director, West Africa Solidarity Centre, AFL-CIO,  Sonny Ogbuehi who raised concerns that the app companies who were only out for profit had not shown care or concern for the about 10 drivers killed between January and August this year, said it had become imperative for them to organise.

“We conducted a focus group research two weeks ago in Lagos to understand the issues and one of the issues that came up was that they were being killed. There is the other issue regarding the setting of fares without any consideration to minutes lost or raising cost of fuel so there are lots of issues confronting them so we need to understand those issues before we can organise.”

President, Trade Union Congress (TUC) Comrade Quadri Olaleye who commended ILAW for working towards protecting the interest of the drivers, said the TUC and the Nigerian Labour Congress were ready to absolve them into the centres.

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