Document delays expected for UK motorists after DVLA workers announce 15 days of strikes

Image of a UK driving licence in 2022.

Image of a UK driving licence in 2022. Credit: mundissima/Shutterstock.com

DVLA staff in Swansea announced 15 days of strike action today, Sunday, May 28. Members of the PCS union will down tools between June 11 and 25.

As a result, motorists in the UK should probably expect to be affected by delays in the processing of vehicle tax reminders, driving licences, and various other documents.

A statement from the union read: “PCS members working for Output Services Group at TY Felin and Morriston in Swansea will take action from June 11 – 25”.

It continued: “The workers print materials for DVLA and other government departments, meaning no vehicle tax reminders will be printed, and there will be backlogs for driving licences and tachographs. When this group of workers took strike action in February, the print machines remained switched off”.

PCS general secretary Mark Serwotka said: “Managers struggled last time and they’ll struggle this time. We’re not afraid to turn up the pressure on ministers to achieve our reasonable demands – a fair pay rise to help our members through the cost-of-living crisis and beyond”.

The PCS is a trade union that counts civil and public servants among its members, as well as private sector workers on government contracts.

Since the pandemic, there has been an ongoing problem surrounding bureaucracy at the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency, as reported by Sky News.

According to the Government’s cross-party Public Accounts Committee, the DVLA’s licence application processing system is: “slow, inefficient and in need of major improvement”. Up to three million motorists have experienced driving licence delays since April 2020 MPs were told.

“Managers struggled last time and they’ll struggle this time. We’re not afraid to turn up the pressure on ministers to achieve our reasonable demands – a fair pay rise to help our members through the cost-of-living crisis and beyond”, commented the PCS general secretary, Mark Serwotka, referring to February’s action.

Since the end of 2022, industrial action among PCS union members has been regular. These included many government departments where civil servants work.

Further strike action could also occur among PCS members who work for Border Force and the Passport Office, with union bosses said to be discussing such a move.

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Written by

Chris King

Originally from Wales, Chris spent years on the Costa del Sol before moving to the Algarve where he is a web reporter for The Euro Weekly News covering international and Spanish national news. Got a news story you want to share? Then get in touch at editorial@euroweeklynews.com

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