PCS members strike again over job losses and changes to working practices

Nearly 2,000 members of the Public and Commercial Services Union (PCS), including driving examiners and admin staff working for the Driving Standards Agency (DSA), will be taking part in a second one-day strike today in a row over office closures, job losses and changes to working practices.

The strike follows the first stoppage in July which led to 42% of driving tests being cancelled. A subsequent work to rule has also led to the disruption and cancellation of driving tests across the country.

The union is angry that a report by consultants Symbia, which recommends the closure of three customer service units, is already being implemented despite little consultation. It is a move that the union believes will reduce the overall level of service that driving test applicants and driving instructors receive.

The main picket lines will be at the customer service units in Birmingham, Newcastle, Edinburgh, Cardiff, London and the Nottingham-based head office.

Paul Williams, PCS president for the Department for Transport, said: “We have sought to talk to the DSA yet they have consistently refused to provide us with all the information of their plans and continue to plough on regardless.

“There is little evidence that DSA’s agenda is about improving safety, leading our members to believe that it is more about increasing income and cutting costs at the expense of the level of service the public expect.”