Driving instructors vote to strike as Mark Harper’s test backlog plans pose ‘significant safety risks’

DRIVING instructors have voted to strike over plans to reduce a huge backlog of tests, which they say are an attempt to erode their terms and conditions and pose “significant safety risks.” More than 1,900 members of the Public and Commercial Services Union (PCS) members working for the DVSA voted for action by a margin of 90.5 per cent on a turnout of 59.2 per cent. A PCS spokesman said Transport Secretary Mark Harper’s political ambitions were behind the so-called “driver services recovery programme.” The measure seeks to recover backlogs to a national average of seven weeks by March 31 2024 but “completely fails” to address the root causes of the backlog and would require staff to cover 150,000 tests above capacity.

PCS general secretary Mark Serwotka said Mr Harper and management in the DVSA “have demonstrated that they are willing to jeopardise our members’ safety and attack their terms and conditions.”

The Department for Transport has been contacted for comment.