Thousands Of Driving Tests Are Being Cancelled As Examiners Strike Over New Rules

British driving examiners – the evil, clipboard-wielding overlords who judge whether you’ve passed your driving test or not – are set to strike on the day the new driving test comes into force.

Thousands of tests will be affected on 4-5 December, most of which will be postponed to a later date. That, in turn, will shunt many others backwards.

The 48-hour strike is over the fact that examiners are apparently being expected to carry out just as many tests as they do now, despite the new test being longer.

As many as 2000 examiners will walk out, just as the new tests are put in place. An overtime ban and work-to-rule will be triggered from 23 November.

The examiners’ union, the Public and Commercial Services union (PCS), says staff are being asked to work longer and harder for no extra pay. Pay isn’t the issue, they say, but working conditions are.

Not all tests will be cancelled, we understand. If you have a driving test booked for either of those dates, or any time in December, you’d better get on the phone to check whether you still have an appointment.