The Amalgamated Union of App-Based Transporters of Nigeria (AUATON) has petitioned the National Assembly, urging lawmakers to take decisive action against ride-hailing platforms, Uber, Bolt, and Indrive over alleged corporate negligence, unsafe work conditions and violations of drivers’ fundamental rights.
In a petition submitted to the Chairman of the Public Petition Committee at the National Assembly Complex, yesterday in Abuja, AUATON’s national president, Damola Adeniran said the platforms failed to ensure the safety and fair treatment of app-based transport workers across the country.
In the petition, Adeniran cited repeated incidents of assault, carjacking, and even murder of drivers operating under these platforms.
AUATON stated that these incidents are symptomatic of broader issues, of what it described as the misclassification of drivers as independent contractors rather than employees.
This, the union argued denies workers access to social protections, collective bargaining rights, and fair recourse in the face of wrongful deactivations by algorithm-driven decisions.
The union invoked several international and domestic legal frameworks, including the International Labour Organization’s conventions and Section 40 of Nigeria’s Constitution, which guarantees the right to freedom of association and unionisation.
Among its demands, AUATON is calling for a restorative conference in July 2025 involving legislators, regulators, platform representatives, and workers’ unions to formulate a national policy addressing employment classification, social protection, and algorithmic governance.
The union also called for encouragement of platforms to participate in this process as a pathway to restoration, rather than litigation and legislative action to transform the outcomes of the July conference into enforceable law.
The petition also references the National Collective Agreement adopted in May 2024, noting its shortcomings in protecting platform workers and calling for a more robust and enforceable regulatory framework.
“This is not just a union concern, it is a matter of national labour justice, we urge the National Assembly to act decisively and create a framework that will ensure safety, fairness, and dignity for app-based transport workers in Nigeria”, Adeniran stated.
The union submitted the petition alongside a research publication documenting the experiences and needs of platform drivers nationwide, with a public hearing expected to follow in the coming weeks.
