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

The Lagos State Chapter of the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) has called for legislation to regulate the operations of e-hailing companies like Uber, Bolt, inDrive, LagRide and others in the state. Chairperson of the chapter, Comrade Agnes Sessi, made the demand during a public hearing sanctioned by the State House of Assembly.

The hearing was a follow-up to a petition by the Lagos State Council of the Amalgamated Union of App-based Transporters of Nigeria (AUATON). Titled “Public Petition Against Uber, Bolt, Indrive, Rida, and LagRide for Non-Compliance with the National Collective Agreement and Corporate Negligence Resulting in the Victimisation of App-Based Transport Workers in Nigeria,” the petition raised concerns over insecurity, labour rights violations, and regulatory non-compliance by ride-hailing companies operating in the state.

Speaking during the session, Comrade Sessi pointed out that although Uber, Bolt and inDrive are international companies, it was unfortunate that they are importing distasteful practices they wouldn’t practice elsewhere into Nigeria. One of these practices is in their pricing mechanism, noting that while they make billions of naira in the country, they go on to treat the people working for them like modern-day slaves, a condition which the NLC rejects.

Highlighting the lack of safety across the e-hailing apps, Comrade Sessi noted that the lack of profiling has led to various safety and security concerns. Some of these concerns have resulted in attacks, violence, and sometimes, death.

She noted the state cannot afford to have a bad name because companies doing business within it fail to protect their people.

“We must protect the lives of the drivers and the drivers. This is part of the reason why we are here. Lagos must conform to what happens elsewhere. These companies that facilitate these apps don’t need to continue to make a gain without doing the right thing. So we need real legislation that will stand the test of time for all the app-based transporters and companies in Lagos State. If they want to continue doing their business, all of them must respect that legislation,” she said.

NLC presents victims to narrate their plight

Presenting two victims: the widow of a driver who was robbed and stabbed to death by a passenger, and a passenger who was robbed and stabbed by a driver- the Lagos NLC chairman made a case for why all parties deserve to be protected by the companies on whose platforms they operate.

Narrating her story, the widow of a driver slain on duty, Biola Olabanji, said the incident happened on April 16 2021.

Speaking through her tears, she said her husband left home to work by 7 am, despite pleas from one of their children for him to take her to school. But he had to leave because they just finished paying for his hire purchase that week, so money was tight.

See also: Another Uber/Bolt driver killed in Lagos, drivers increase calls for mandatory rider profiling

Hours after he left, he had yet to check in on them, which was unusual, especially since they had certain financial obligations.

She then decided to call him, only for a stranger to pick up the call and inform her that her husband had had an accident and her attention was needed at the police station, as he was in a coma.

She quickly put her baby in the care of a neighbour and hurried off.

“When I reached the police station and identified myself, they asked me to go and get an elderly person from my family. When I went and got my sister, they told me my husband is in the mortuary that we should go and check him there after trying to locate his family members. Even then, I did not believe what they were saying. Until they showed me his corpse, and I shouted and even fainted. Ever since then, I have been the one taking care of the kids for the past four years. It hasn’t been easy for me. They have evicted us from the house we were living, I now live with my elder sister,” the widow told the session.

Comrade Sessi noted that Bolt, on whose platform he was operating at the time of the incident, is yet to reach out to the family after four years.

“The family and the union informed Bolt, and up till this moment, Bolt abandoned the family as they neither wrote nor visited the family. They didn’t put humanity into what they are doing; all they care about is making money. The wife buried the husband with the support of the union and has been catering for the children alone,” she said.

She noted that some of these drivers are not profiled by the app companies as they apply online without any security checks. They demanded that the details of both drivers and passengers should be obtained through their NIN and linked to the app.

She, however, noted that the process of profiling drivers would be made easier if the app companies worked with AUATON.