DVLA staff embark on five-day strike over pay and conditions

Workers at the DVLA will launch a five-day strike today in the latest phase of industrial action by civil servants in a dispute over pay, pensions and jobs.

Members of the Public and Commercial Services (PCS) based in Swansea and Birmingham will be taking action.

The strike, by around 600 workers who assess people’s ability to drive before granting them a driving licence, forms part of PCS’s national campaign after 100,000 civil servants in 124 government departments voted for action.

Members working for the Border Force, Rural Payments Agency, Department for Work and Pensions, National Highways and those working as driving examiners have been taking staggered action since mid-December.

In a separate dispute, PCS members working as legal advisers and court associates in more than 82 courts across England and Wales will strike on January 21, it was announced.

The courts in Wales affected by the dispute later in the month are: Aberystwyth Justice Centre, Caernarfon Justice Centre, Cardiff Magistrates’ Court, Haverfordwest Magistrates’ Court, Llanelli Magistrates’ Court, Merthyr Tydfil Combined Court Centre, Mold Justice Centre, Newport Magistrates’ Court.

Anti-union legislation

PCS general secretary Mark Serwotka said: “This latest phase of our targeted and sustained strike action comes as the Government launches another attack on working people by introducing anti-union legislation.

“By trying to stop unions taking action – something we will fight strongly against – the Government is attacking the symptom, not the cause.

“The cause, in this case, is a government that has offered our members just a 2% pay rise at a time when inflation is over 10%.

“It’s no wonder our members at DVLA are angry. They are keen to do their jobs, to serve the public, but are struggling to cope with the cost-of-living crisis.

“They deserve, at very least, an above-inflation pay rise.”