Fórsa trade union has today (Monday) renewed its call for urgent action to properly staff and manage the State’s driving test service, warning that the long-standing ‘deficit model’ of operation is causing unacceptable driving test delays and undermining public confidence.
The call was made during Fórsa’s Services and Enterprises Divisional Conference, taking place in Galway City until Wednesday (28th May), where delegates backed a motion instructing the union’s executive to negotiate with Road Safety Authority (RSA) management and lobby the Department of Transport to address chronic understaffing in the service.
Driving tester and Fórsa member Robbie Christopher said years of operating with insufficient staff has created predictable and preventable problems:
“The system has been run on a staffing deficit for too long. This creates long delays, fuels frustration for the public, and puts unsustainable pressure on testers. We need to run the service properly, with a long-term staffing strategy, not more short-term fixes.”
Recent figures show that learner drivers currently face an estimated average wait of about 27 weeks, far in excess of the RSA’s ten-week service target, while more than 100,000 people are waiting to sit their driving test.
Fórsa assistant general secretary Ruairí Creaney said the current crisis is rooted in under-investment and a history of precarious employment practices at the RSA: “The union has recently secured permanent and secure employment for all driver testers, and we cannot go back to the practice of using temporary contracts. These working conditions are made it harder to recruit and retain staff, directly impacting service delivery,” he said.
Mr Creaney said Fórsa is urging the Department of Transport and RSA management to abandon the short-term approach that has dominated to date: “Long-term planning is the only solution, not a system run on crisis mode. The public needs and deserves a high-quality, accessible driving test service. That requires proper staffing, secure jobs, and a clear plan to meet demand,” he said.