The Federal Government has approved the registration of the Amalgamated Union of App-Based Transport Workers of Nigeria as a trade union.

This was contained in a letter from the Trade Union Services and Industrial Relations Department of the Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment addressed to the AUATWN.

“I am directed to refer to your application letter dated 27th April 2021, written pursuant to Section 3 of the Trade Unions Act, CAP. T14 Laws of the Federation of Nigeria (LFN), 2014, addressed to the Honourable Minister of Labour and Employment for the Registration of the above-named organisation as a trade union.

“I am further directed to inform you that after extensive consideration of your application, the Honourable Minister of Labour and Employment has approved the registration of your organisation as a Trade Union with rights and privileges as stipulated by the Trade Unions Act, cited above.”

The letter stated that going by the Trade Unions Act, the AUATWN has been empowered by law to be able to determine the terms and conditions of drivers working in any app-based transportation company.

The founding Secretary-General and the former President of the National Union of Professional App-based Workers, Ibrahim Ayoade, said, “With this approval, what this means is that AUATWN becomes the first government-approved trade union for e-hailing drivers in Africa.”

Speaking on the development, Comrade Ayoade said the struggle to unionise app-based drivers started in 2016 when Uber slashed the income of drivers to 40 per cent without consulting them.

He, therefore, called upon drivers across the country to join the trade union as they push for more favourable terms of work.