Staff at vehicle test centres across Northern Ireland have gone on strike for more pay. The open-ended industrial action means that up 5,000 vehicle tests and 500 driving tests may be cancelled.
The refusal by staff to process certificates for the vehicle test, known as the MoT, means that officially drivers are using their vehicles illegally and there could be knock-on effects for insurance cover.
Centres run by the Driver, Vehicle and Testing Agency (DVTA) at Belfast, Mallusk and Lisburn, Co Antrim; Armagh city, Craigavon, Co Armagh; and Newtownards and Newry, Co Down are affected.
Staff, who are members of the Northern Ireland Public Service Alliance (Nipsa), have been involved in industrial action since December and they claim the government has refused them cost of living pay increases. The government has imposed a pay package which will add 3.67 per cent to the wage bill of the Northern Ireland Civil Service.
Mr Ian Pearson, a Northern Ireland Office junior minister, said the pay offer was fair and made clear no new money would be on offer. The DVTA is worried that the industrial action could have repercussions for the fight against vehicle and insurance fraud. The longer the action is pursued, the greater the backlog to be processed if a settlement is achieved.
The PSNI has said it will take into account drivers' inability to obtain tax discs and will view each case individually.
Waiting times for MoT appointments have already been stretched by the upgrading of centres with new computerised testing equipment. Motorists already wait a month on average for a test appointment, well above the department's target figure of 21 days.