New Driving Test Prompts UK Examiners to go on Strike

The Public and Commercial Service union has warned that thousands of driving tests could be cancelled as a result of examiners beginning a 48-hour strike. The union says the new driving test means examiners will have to work longer and harder for no extra pay.

The chief executive of the DVSA stated the union was “trying to undermine” the new test. He said it showed a “shameful disregard for both road safety and learner drivers who have worked so hard”.

The DVSA said the new test offered a more realistic assessment of driving skills.

The PCS general secretary said his union had tried to negotiate: “No one takes strike action lightly and we acknowledge the disruption to the driving tests for learner drivers keen to pass their test.”

The union said examiners, who are employed by the DVSA, were being told to work harder as the tests come into force.

It said the tests were being accompanied by a “flexible working” regime, which gives managers the ability to deploy driving test examiners anywhere they choose without notice.

The PCS says this could mean staff working six days a week, but only being paid for five.

The DVSA said this was “simply not true”, adding that it had recruited more than 320 extra driving examiners in the past year.

What are your thoughts on the new test?

Safe driving from Britannia!