8:03 am, February 16, 2023
Staff at the DVLA’s Swansea offices are to stage strike action in the coming weeks in a move that could cause significant disruption to dealers.
The Public and Commercial Services (PCS) union said its members will be walking out in protest against pay, jobs, pensions and conditions.
The action is scheduled to take place from February 27 to March 3 and is the latest development in an increasingly bitter dispute.
Staff have staged a number of strikes in recent years, which coupled with the pandemic, led to misery for dealers and drivers alike.
In April 2021, Car Dealer reported that four days of industrial action were likely to cause delays to paper applications as well as calls to the agency’s contact centre.
That was followed by similar protest action just a month later at the start of May, also of PCS members.
The dispute, relating to Covid safety during the pandemic, rumbled on well into the summer with leading dealers criticising the walkouts.
Independent Motor Dealers Association chairman Umesh Samai was among those to hit out, telling Car Dealer that businesses had been turned into graveyards, with firm’s completely unable to contact the agency.
A further strike was planned for November 2021 but fell through when less than half of union members turned out to vote.
In relation to the strike action planned for the end of this month, PCS general secretary Mark Serwotka hit out at the government for its handling of the ongoing dispute.
DVLA staff also took action just over two weeks ago, on February 1.
He said: ‘As long as the Government shows no sign of resolving this dispute, we’ll show no signs of stopping strike action.
‘Ministers seem able to find money for just about everything other than giving their own employees a decent pay rise. PCS members have had enough of being taken for granted.’
Hannah David, PCS vice president of the Culture Sector back out on the Brisish Museum picket line.#PCSonStrike #BlameTheGovt #HeartUnions❤️ pic.twitter.com/xLreEY6XaV
— PCS Union (@pcs_union) February 15, 2023
The DVLA workers will be joined by fellow PCS members working for Land Registry in Birkenhead, Coventry, Croydon, Durham, Fylde, Gloucester, Hull, Leicester, Nottingham, Peterborough, Plymouth, Swansea, Telford and Weymouth.
The union’s members are also on strike this week at the Department for Work and Pensions, the British Museum and the Animal and Plant Health Agency.
The union said around 1,000 Border Force officials will begin strike action in Dover, Calais, Coquelles and Dunkirk on Friday.
A DVLA spokesperson told Car Dealer that its understanding was that the action would only impact a handful of DVLA staff, working in its stores department.
They said: ‘The quickest and easiest way to deal with DVLA is through our online services which, along with our contact centre, is operating as normal during this period of industrial action.
‘It is very disappointing that PCS is incentivising union members by paying them to take part in action.’
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