Motorists are being warned about strike action taking place next week that could have an impact on people trying to take their driving tests.
Around 2,000 driving test examiners across England, Scotland and Wales will go on strike for four days in February.
Members of the PCS union working for the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) will walk out on February 8, 9, 10 and 11 in a dispute over the Agency’s "driver services recovery programme".
This programme aims to recover the driving test backlog to a national average of seven weeks by March 31, 2024.
The strike action is set to take place over four days
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There are some concerns that it will pose safety risks to test candidates and examiners by promising to deliver an additional 150,000 tests on top of their normal workloads.
PCS is claiming that even 150,000 extra tests will not help the DVSA meet the target to help clear the backlog.
Mark Serwotka, general secretary of the PCS, described the DVSA’s actions as “reckless”, claiming it is prioritising business over the health, safety and welfare of its members.
He said that the DVSA had shown a “total disregard” for members, despite those being the people who keep the Agency operating.
The 60-year-old added: “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.”
Not all examiners are PCS union members, but the DVSA is allowing drivers to change their test to another date if they want to, provided they give at least three working days’ notice.
The DVSA has also instructed motorists to go to their driving test appointment as planned if it’s on the date of the strikes, unless they have been told not to go.
People will lose their fee for the test if they do not go to the appointment and they will have to rebook their test themselves.
Loveday Ryder, chief executive of the DVSA, 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.
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Previous strikes have taken place over the last two years
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“Driving test candidates should attend their test as usual, unless they are contacted directly.”
If the test cannot go ahead, the DVSA will automatically rebook the driving test and they will be sent new details within five to 10 days, with motorists also being able to claim out-of-pocket expenses.