EVOLUTION OF E-HAILING AND UNIONISATION OF E-HAILING DRIVERS IN NIGERIA.
Dated back since 2008 during the early days of rebranded urban taxi and cab transportation experience, was the introduction of unbranded taxi and cab like RedCab, Yellow taxi in lagos, green taxi in Abuja and other branded taxi in different state of Nigeria was the main taxi service earlier, Branded Metro-Taxi introduced the first modernized metered taxi(managed by Philly and mools group) service to lagos in 2009, subsequently, Easy Taxi introduce the first online passenger booking taxi in 2011 to change the dynamism of traditional hailing taxi transportation system in Nigeria, particularly in Lagos.
Globally, the emergence and revolution of ridesharing and ride-hailing app company (also known as a transportation network company or service whereby the vehicles are called app-taxis or e-taxis) that created a link via websites and mobile apps, to matches passengers with drivers of vehicles for hire that, unlike taxicabs, cannot practically be hailed from the street.
Dated back to 2008 during the early days of rebranded urban taxi and cab transportation experience, the introduction of unbranded taxis and cabs like RedCab, Yellow Taxi in Lagos, green taxi in Abuja, and other branded taxis in a different states of Nigeria was the main taxi service earlier, Branded Metro-Taxi introduced the first modernized metered taxi(managed by Philly and mools group) service to Lagos in 2009, subsequently, Easy Taxi introduce the first online passenger booking taxi in 2011 to change the dynamism of traditional hailing taxi transportation system in Nigeria, particularly in Lagos.
Globally, the emergence and evolution of ridesharing and ride-hailing app companies (also known as transportation network companies or services whereby the vehicles are called app-taxis or e-taxis) created a link via websites and mobile apps, to match passengers with drivers of vehicles for hire that, unlike taxicabs, cannot practically be hailed from the street.
The first ride-hailing technology company in Nigeria e-having sub-sector of the transportation industry as at 2014 was UBER breaking into the market with a marketing strategy of creating self-employed job opportunities for private car owners to earn additional income but the alarming rate of graduate unemployment in the nation made the UBER work the first job seeking the opportunity for unemployed graduates most especially those who had been home for several years without any job opportunities, this unemployed graduate began to reach out to potential investors for car rentals or hire purchase for used on UBER platforms, subsequently, potential investors became attracted and started investing as a fleet management company in consideration of the huge numbers of people searching for a car to earn a living, on UBER platforms.
It’s imperative to note, that UBER business model was built on mobility, with a declaration that UBER is not a transport company eventhough they fix the trip price, fix commission and punished the driver who own and maintain their car and fleet for failuring to carryout trip order eventhough they were tire, Taxify( now bolt) follow the UBER model and the drivers hope of getting a better deal in Nigeria became unrealistic, as at the time, when there was no any sort of advocacy or organized driver association or union to press or dialog onbehalf of e-hailing drivers for proper representation in app companies decision making or demand for good working conditions, however, drivers had formed and organized themselves through Whatsapp group and platforms, as early as 2014 and 2015 majorly in Lagos, mainly for the purpose of interaction, sharing locations and traffic update but by 2016, drivers had also formed different whatsapp groups in Abuja for thesame purposes similar to that of lagos, the growing conversation and discussions amongst drivers in this whatsapp platforms about the app companies hash condition of work and punitive measure without fair hearing and slashing of transportation fare by 40% informed the conversation towards the need to form a fomidable drivers association.
The struggle for emancipation of app drivers in Nigeria started 2016 when Uber cut down the income of app drivers by 40% during same year bolt launching in agos and further lower the income of app drivers because of competition and control of market.
In 2017 comrade Ayoade Ibrahim who is today the general secretary (AUATON) a veteran labour unionists began a movement for emancipation of drivers in lagos by identifying and engaging major whatsapp group leaders and prominent drivers in a conversation that resulted in the formation of the first organized drivers association called NATIONAL UNION OF PROFESSIONAL E-HAILING DRIVERS( NUPED) in Nigeria e-hailing industry, however, the first associations of driver in Nigeria NUPED could not unified the various interest of earlier member owing to their various desire in leadership position, financial mismagement and various accusation of leadership challenge led to immediate disintegration of of members and resulted into formation and registration of some of the first CAC registerd associations, like, Professional e-hailing driver and private-owners Association (PEDPA 2019) led by comrade Idris Oluwaseun, Moving Train Partner associations (MOTPA), E-cab Drivers Associationsof of Nigeria (ECDAN), Legendary Men On-wheel Associations, Ladies On-wheel Associations and others in Lagos, and many of the earlier associations like CODA, OHPAN, TTDA, NUEBS that later merged to form (NACORP led by Damola Adeniran the current president of AUATON) in Abuja.
Between 2018 and 2022, advocacy had grown much larger in Lagos, Abuja, Port Harcourt, Ibadan, and other parts of Nigeria as Uber and Bolt had expanded operations beyond the two major cities in a bid to expand their reach competitively even in the face of undermining adequate good welfare packages for e-hailing driver and failure to attends to growing demand by e-hailing driver community for adequate profiling of riders, reduction of commission, review of trip fare, and to unfair dismissal of drivers, lack of security and security, lack of trip insurance and other anti-drivers welfare policy. At the center stage of this advocacy and campaign for e-hailing unionization in Nigeria were three major associations NUPABTW, PEDPAN, and NACORP which had fully formed into a nationally recognized e-hailing drivers association with PEDPAN membership spread across the twenty local government area of Lagos state, Kwara, Abuja, Oyo, and others who attends a regular weekly meeting, issuing a press statement, directing drivers for protest and strike action against habitual dictatorial practices of UBER AND BOLT, this association and were determined in their approach of organizing drivers to achieve this goal.
This is evidenced by NUPED which later changed its name to the National Union of Professional App-Based Transport Workers (NUPABTW) applications for registration as a trade union in 2018, while PEDPA changed its name to Professional e-hailing Driver and private-owners Association of Nigeria (PEDPAN) in early 2021 and presented applications for registration as a trade union, The National Coalition of ride-hailing Professional (NACORP with over ten associations under her umbrella) later submitted applications to the Federal Ministry of Labour to be registered as a trade union In early 2022.
In December 2022, the Federal Ministry of Labor convened a meeting at the Federal Secretariat through the registrar of trade union inviting all the three major associations specifically NACORP, PEDPAN AND NUPABTW who has earlier submitted applications for registration as trade trade union to harmonised under one name for easy and fastening registration since three were from thesame industry and fighting for thesame course, the RTU engaged the experienced of two members of Nigeria Labor Congress (NLC) in person’s of Comrade Chris who is the deputy general secretary for education and training and comrade Bello the deputy general secretary for organising both of the NLC to intermediate, dialog and see to harmonization process of the three associations, After much deliberation and dialogue over the need to unionize under one body, an agreement was reached that should form the basis and principle of the MOU, that brought the three together, three names was suggested but Amalgamated union of app-based transport workers of Nigeria (AUATON) was choosen. It became necessary to choose the interim officers of the union amongst many members of the three associations to begin the life journey of AUATON then a micro election for an interim president became necessary and the following national officer of AUATON emerged from the three blocs.
- President – Comrade Damola Adeniran (NACORP)
- General Secretary – Ayoade Ibrahim (NUPABTW)
- Treasurer – Jolaiya Suen Moses (PEDPAN)
- Deputy President- Adebayo Padmore(PEDPAN)
- Deputy President- David Nosa( NUPABTW)
- South-East Vice President – Samuel Orji-(PEDPAN)
- South-West Vice President – Akolawoke Aina(PEDPAN)
- South-East Vice President – Emeka Emerole(NACORP)
- Noth-Central Vice President – Ayodele Anthony(NACORP)
- North-East Vice President – Shehu Hassan Saidu(NUPABTW)
- North-West Vice President – Obande Edache(NUPABTW)
- North-West Vice President – Obande Edache(NUPABTW)
- National Auditor – Fred Enaikeh Aleburu (NACORP)
- National Trustee – Idris Oluwaseun (NACORP)
- National Women Representative – Rosemary Okenwa(NUPABTW)
- National Women Representative – Abiola Nkechi Toluwani(NACORP)
- National Ex-Officio – Joseph Olawal Adaraniwon
- National(PEDPAN) Ex-Officio – Ilevbare Oje Sylvester(NUPABTW)
- National Ex-officio- Nwachukwu Chinedu Peter(NACORP).
A total of eighteen National officers emerged to kick start the running and setting up of the union structure across Nigeria as of December 2022.
The composition of membership coverage for the Amalgamated Union of app-based transporters of Nigeria as a trade union approved by the Federal Ministry of Labor to represent the needs and concerns of App-Based Transporters in Nigeria. Includes e-hailing or online transport drivers, App-based delivery workers (dispatch) app-based motorbike rider, and any form of app-based transportation work in the Gig platform, It’s worthy of note to recognize Solidarity Center Nigeria an international Labor Society Organization who have played a significant role in leading advocacy efforts that contributed to the establishment of AUATON in the area of organizing other platforms workers that made up of AUATON such as dispatch riders and their support in union building.