Nigeria’s e-hailing union, the Amalgamated Union of App-based Transporters of Nigeria (AUATON) has condemned the exclusion of e-hailing drivers from receiving free compressed natural gas (CNG) conversion of their vehicles from the Presidential Compressed Natural Gas Initiative (PCNGI) program.
This was disclosed in a recent statement signed by the union’s president, Comrade Adedamola Adeniran.
According to the statement, conversion kits as well as installation were made entirely free for members of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) and the Road Transport Employers Association of Nigeria (RTEAN). On the contrary, e-hailing drivers will only receive a 50 per cent discount on conversion kits while being made to pay for the installation, a situation the union describes as unacceptable.
Recently, the federal government launched the Presidential CNG Initiative’s (Pi-CNG) Conversion Incentive Program for the rideshare sector. During the event, the FG offered a 50 per cent discount on CNG conversion to drivers who sign up and use the newly launched MY-CNG App. The incentive is especially aimed at helping players in the rideshare sector, including Uber and Bolt drivers, to convert to CNG seamlessly.
But while the ride-hailing drivers are getting a 50 per cent discount, it appears their counterparts in other transport unions are getting theirs for free and it has not gone down well with the union.
“It has come to our attention that the Presidential Compressed Natural Gas Initiative (PCNGI) program, under the direction of its current leadership, has excluded AUATON from receiving free CNG conversion kits, a benefit that has been extended to other unions such as the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) and the Road Transport Employers’ Association of Nigeria (RTEAN).
Both of these unions, like AUATON, are duly registered trade unions. However, they made the conversion kits 50 per cent for App-based transport Workers and this is unacceptable,” the statement reads.
The union also condemned the PCNGI’s choice of collaborating with the app companies like Uber and Bolt for the execution of the conversion project instead of the union. They pointed out that Uber, Bolt and the rest are registered as private companies under the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) and as such their goals are not exactly aligned with those of the drivers.
It maintained that the program coordinators should have engaged directly with the union as it has been empowered by law to represent the interest of the app-based transport workers who actually generate revenue for these platforms.
“AUATON members contribute significant daily revenue of over ₦1.5 billion through Value Added Tax (VAT), making them a substantial part of Nigeria’s transportation sector. The ride-hailing companies have explicitly stated that they are not the employers of our members and therefore cannot speak on their behalf. Their involvement in the PCNGI program is a clear overstep, as their focus should be on improving the safety of drivers by properly profiling riders. Due to their failure in this regard, we have lost several members,” the statement reads.
The union therefore urged the PCNGI program director to reconsider the decision to execute through the app companies and engage treat the union with the same consideration as other transport unions by engaging with them directly.
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