Driving test examiners to strike over ‘flawed plan’ to clear backlog

Almost 2,000 driving test examiners across England, Scotland and Wales have announced four days of strike action in a row over workloads.

Members of the Public and Commercial Services (PCS) union working in 270 test centres will be taking action on February 8, 9, 10 and 11 in protest against the Government’s “flawed plan” to clear the driving test backlog.

Driving examiners say Transport Secretary Mark Harper’s plans pose “significant” safety risks for them and their customers and will erode their terms and conditions by expecting them to deliver a further 150,000 tests by the end of March.

PCS general secretary Mark Serwotka said: “Our members are already working their hardest to clear the backlog of tests, but they need extra resources, extra examiners, not instructions from Mark Harper.

“They want to maintain the high standards they’re used to delivering but they’re unable to do that if they’re expected to work longer and longer hours.

“If Mark Harper was serious about reducing the backlog, he would invest in DVSA, employing more examiners, not just expecting the existing ones to work harder.”

DVSA chief executive Loveday Ryder said: “It is disappointing that strike action by PCS members will go ahead, impacting the services we offer our customers.

“Learners expect a seven-day-per-week service, and, as a publicly funded body, DVSA wants to provide that.

“Driving test candidates should attend their test as usual, unless they are contacted directly.”