Strike causes huge NI driving disruption

Civil service strike action in Northern Ireland is causing massive disruption to driving and MOT tests, it was confirmed today.

More than 7,000 vehicle MOTs - the Northern Ireland equivalent of the NCT in the Republic - and 700 driving tests a week have been cancelled since staff at the testing centres went on strike in May.

The strike action is part of wider industrial action by the North's public service union Nipsa over pay which has been going on since last December.

Northern Ireland Environment Minister Angela Smith revealed the extent of motoring chaos being caused in a parliamentary answer to shadow Northern Ireland secretary David Liddington.

She said that from the start of the indefinite strike action in test centres on May 17 until June 24, a total of 5,791 practical driving tests and 43,532 MOTs had been cancelled.

Staff at eight of the 15 test centres across the North are on strike, but the centres which remain open are unable to take on the extra work load.

Nipsa has been taking action over the British government’s refusal to pay a cost of living increase to civil servants which they say was due in April last year.

The British government has imposed a pay increase which added 3.67% to the civil service wage bill, but the union claim that was part of a pre-agreed grading increment and took no account of the rise in the cost of living.