Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency members to be balloted for strike action

More than 1900 members working for the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) across England, Wales and Scotland will be asked if they are willing to take industrial action in response to the driver services recovery programme. 

This is an attempt by the DVSA, whose staff carry out driving tests and approve people to be driving instructors, to recover backlogs to a national average of 7 weeks by 31 March 2024. 

As part of this recovery programme, the DVSA has imposed mass changes to members’ terms and conditions. 

In a postal ballot that runs from 16 November until noon on 13 December, PCS is asking members if they are prepared to take strike action over the employer's imposition of changes to their terms and conditions, working practices and job roles.

The DVSA is willing to jeopardise members’ safety, terms and conditions and the standards of safety that driving tests require to recover the backlog of tests that was their making.

Any change enforced on operational members also sets a precedent for all DVSA employees.

PCS is demanding written confirmation that there are no plans to introduce an 8-test day, the withdrawal of the cluster 5 over 7 contracts, and the creation of acceptable overtime incentives and a new remuneration package to reward staff for their efforts during the recovery period. 

PCS also demands the return of driving examiner line management for certain staff and the removal of same grade peer to peer management, as well as a binding memorandum of understanding on job and role security and an agreement for a joint PCS and DVSA review and update of the lone working policy and processes of risk assessments.

The ballot of DVSA members opens on 16 November and closes on 13 December. If new members join before noon on 24 November, they will be eligible to vote.

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