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Glimmer of hope in Northern Irish test station strike
Page 19
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THE NORTHERN Ireland Public Service Alliance is to consider suspending its strike action, which has closed nine of Northern Ireland's 15 vehicle test stations for nearly three months.
A spokesman for the union says there has been some progress in talks after the government agreed to discuss the 2003 pay round, when civil servants did not receive a cost of living increase: "If there are concrete proposals next Friday [16 July] we would consider suspending the action."
Test stations have been issuing Temporary Exemption Certificates, valid for three months, allowing firms to continue to operate trucks that are overdue for their tests. But the Department of the Environment (DE) says these are not be valid for journeys outside the UK so any Northern Irish operators heading into the Republic of Ireland could be risking prosecution and would be left without insurance cover (CM 10 June).
Some operators, such as Moirabased WMAllen & Sons, are going to the expense of sending vehicles to England for testing.
A spokesman says: "In this past month we've had to send a couple of lorries and a couple of trailers to England to be tested.
"We can get them tested within three working days. Over here it took a month, even when they were working."