National Car Testing Ltd is to send out letters inviting 30,000 motorists whose tests were cancelled as a result of a strike to rebook. This follows a ballot of the company's 140 car-testers yesterday in which they voted by almost two to one to return to work on the basis of new settlement proposals.
Company spokeswoman Ms Samantha Breen said the company was "delighted the strike is over but it will take us a while to get back to normal in Dublin. There is not a huge backlog at other centres and things should get back to normal there relatively quickly."
The Department of the Environment and Local Government waived tests for owners of older cars who needed to tax their vehicles during the 11-week dispute. New instructions will be issued to motor tax offices in the next few days to phase out the exemptions.
Under the waiver system any owner of a pre-1992 car could obtain a three-month road tax disc and owners of pre-1996 cars could obtain a 12-month disc.
The majority of the 30,000 motorists affected by the dispute are in Dublin, where the strike began. It took two weeks to spread to provincial centres. About 1,400 cars can be tested daily, so on this basis the backlog should be cleared in about a month. However, January to April is the busiest time of year for car tests and registration.
Ms Breen said it might be May before all customers were dealt with. People due to tax their cars this month and next will be invited to book tests on the assumption that motorists due to renew their road tax in January and February will have availed of the waiver.
Under the return to work terms, NCT testers in provincial centres will receive the Dublin allowance of £37 a week in two phases. The first phase of £20 will be paid immediately and the remaining £17 in nine months.
The issue which caused the strike, the demand from management that workers in the busiest centres work longer hours to deal with seasonal demand, has been referred to a joint union-management committee as part of a review of rosters.
Commitments have been given that staff will be able to take off "banked hours" built up during peak periods in the following five weeks or by next September at the latest. If staff have to work more than 20 "banked hours" in any one week, they will be paid overtime. They will also be paid overtime for "banked hours" for which it is not possible to take time off.
SIPTU national industrial secretary Mr John Kane welcomed the ballot result yesterday. "I hope management will live up to the expectations created through the resolution of this dispute in their attitude towards employees."