By Demilade Aderibigbe
Nigerians should expect Mother-of-all protest by Friday, marking the three-day protest called by the Amalgamated Union of App-Based Transport Workers of Nigeria (AUATWN) over the removal of fuel subsidy by the Federal Government.
Rising from its National Emergency Meeting in Lagos, yesterday, the union which reviewed the protest which started on Wednesday, said the protest would continue today and would all their members nationwide who stayed off work in a strike action called by the union to press home their demand for a 200% increase trip fare and a minimum trip fare of N2000 over the fuel subsidy removal by the government.
AUATWN is the union of all ride hailing app companies operating in Nigeria such as: Uber, Bolt, LagRide, Indriver, Drup and others.
The National President Comrade Damola Adeniran in a statement signed by the Chairman Media and Publicity Committee of the Union Comrade Jossy Olawale said its members can no longer be intimidated, we have overtime been subjected to hardship, oppression and cowed in the name of wanting to survive as an unemployed graduates who humbly undertake driving jobs.
Adeniran said already one of the App company Bolt has started blocking the Bolt Account of members of the excos of the union over the protest demanding more equitable payment for the workers.
He said the drivers are resolute in their stand for an increase by 200% and a N2000 benchmark for all transport fare, even as they are demanding that all app companies to immediately set their commission at 10% or reduce their commission by 50% without any hidden charges, owing to their operational cost occasioned by the fuel subsidy removal that has made the business unprofitable.
He said: “As a union we have the right to protest and protect the right of our members for better welfare, as a result which we cannot be punished while undertaking this lawful but it’s now an abomination that a company operating in our country cannot be subjected or operate in accordance with our constitution except that of Estonia as stated in the terms and conditions of bolt that (any driver that sign up to bolt is govern by it country of origin laws), we have therefore, examined the implementation of another country law over our member living in our own country with unlawful blocking driver account of some national executive council of AUATWON stating they impose strike action as member of the union.
Bolt has also clarified that 270% increase in PMS is equal to 270% driving time as this acknowledged that the percentage increase is equal to consumption of corresponding driving time but irrational agreed that a meager 27% increase in fare is quite enough to meet the new increase in price, this is mathematically impossible and practically unattainable.
Our demand remain unchanged, increase fare by 200%, reduce commission by 50%, profile rider adequately ( KYC), but we are open for negotiation.
The union also demanded that the app companies should subsidize trip fare for the rider by at least 5% to cushion the effect of increase in price for the rider using the gain from homogeneous commission reserved.