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DRIVING INSTRUCTORS ARE being forced to stand outside test centres with no access to bathroom facilities during driving tests, claims a union representing instructors.
A number of instructors at the test centre in Finglas in Dublin, have been taking part in a demonstration every Friday morning for the past two months to call for better working conditions. Now other demonstrations are taking place in Cavan, Waterford and Sligo.
According to trade union Unite, driving instructors are being prevented from accessing RSA centres while their students sit driving tests.
Instructors say they have to stand in the rain and cannot use toilets or hand-washing facilities.
Instructor Laura Broxson said she had to reduce the number of students she can take in one day as she has to return home to wash her hands between each driving lesson.
Broxson, who covers the north Dublin test routes, said: “We find it extremely inhumane that we are stuck in the rain and have nowhere to wash our hands.
Students would usually hire the driving instructor’s car for their test which can last between 45 minutes to an hour and we have to wait outside no matter what the weather is.
“Cafes are not allowing customers to sit in so we have to stand outside in the lashing rain.
“We know that hand sanitiser is not enough and I now have to plan my day as to how I can drive home before my next lesson.
“It means I can take fewer students a day and earn less money every week.
Driving instructors are making sure they don’t drink too much water during the day as we can’t access bathrooms.
Instructors are also calling for the suspension of check tests which take place with RSA examiners.
Demonstrators are also calling for the suspension of logbooks and an immediate review of Essential Driving training in light of the ongoing pandemic.
Broxson added: “I have seen parents and grandparents of students standing in the rain because they are also not allowed to sit and wait inside test centres.
I am very worried about what is going to happen over the next couple of months when the weather gets worse.
Backlog
The Road Safety Authority said today that there is now a backlog of 43,192 people waiting to be scheduled a test appointment, with 15,111 people scheduled for a test date in the next five weeks.
Waiting times have increased from around less than six weeks before the pandemic, to up to 30 weeks currently – that’s over 7 months.
Test centres and drivers are currently operating at around 75% capacity per tester compared to before the Covid-19 pandemic.
The RSA is asking those who cannot attend their driving test to ring beforehand to cancel, to help alleviate the pressure currently on the system. At the moment, 10% of people scheduled for a test don’t show up, and 6% of tests are also not conducted because of incorrect documentation, ie, an out-of-date NCT cert, tax cert, or insurance.
Response from the RSA
A spokesman for the RSA said: “ADIs (Approved Driving Instructors) are important stakeholders in the learning to drive process.
“Unfortunately, since the driver testing service resumed after being suspended due to the Covid-19 health emergency, nobody other than a test candidate can enter a driving test centre.
“This is in order to manage our health and safety responsibilities, keep the service operating and to prevent the spread of the virus.
“We regret this is so and we hope to resume access to ADIs at a future date when the threat of the virus has passed.”
The RSA said that it was “untrue” to say that plans to develop an electronic system to replace the hard copy logbook for Essential Driver Training sessions have been shelved – the RSA said it is “to sit down” with the ADI Stakeholders Forum (the instruction industry’s representative body that deals with the RSA) to explore the use of technology to replace the hard logbook.
The RSA added: “In relation to interaction with their customers, ADIs are independent operators and like all other service providers, are obliged to follow government protocols that have been laid down for the resumption of services. ADIs need to take specific measures to manage Covid-19 in that context.”
- with reporting from Gráinne Ní Aodha
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I agree with Ivana! Everyone should have the same flexible work conditions as T.D.’s, especially during those long, lazy summer days until September and a bit of a break at Christmas and Easter as well…
@William Tallon: if everyone works from home you can bet taxes will increase as companies will shut offices and that means local councils loose out on rates, cafe and restaurant will struggle with the lack of footfall and your job will go to India, it has to be balanced
@Garreth mc mahon: Outsourcing the Dáil to India could have certain advantages though…
@Garreth mc mahon: I’d argue there’s more opportunity in renovating those buildings into flats and creating lovely well serviced neighbourhoods.
@Garreth mc mahon: Why would the job go to India? People keep saying this.. You do realize India has offices also, so why have the jobs not already gone to India??
@Garreth mc mahon: If cost was the only deciding factor, most jobs would move to India anyway but remote working arrangements have zero bearing on whether a job relocates to India or not. I’m not sure where this myth started but it’s being repeated relentlessly and it’s a total red herring. For example, I work for a large MNC. We moved much of our support and services out to India about 15 years ago. We brought most of it back because our customers want to speak to native English speakers and sometimes in their own local language. Many of us were already working from home previous to covid but now we all are. I’ve no doubt the company plans to reduce it’s office space here which reduces cost and makes us more competitive while we still have a space we can go and meet in from time to time. What’s not to like ? And that’s before we consider the benefits to the environment, traffic, quality of life Etc.
Cafes and restaurants are another red herring as those jobs and businesses will just move out to new hubs, smaller towns and other decentralised locations. Big office space in cities will be the ultimate loser but worst case scenario, buildings can be repurposed to provide badly needed housing and make cities more liveable again.
This is an amazing once in a generation opportunity for us to redefine how we work and live our lives but it’ll be completely squandered by this government because they don’t have the vision or the ability to try anything new.
@Garreth mc mahon: if they wanted my job in india it would be in india, fact is local communities will have all those services in local hubs around our towns and cities, lots of office space in dublin can be converted to apartments until a balance is struck
@Declan Doherty: Just to clarify, when you say ‘us’ redefining ‘how we work and live our lives’ are you referring only to that section of the population who like yourself can viably work from home? That’s how it appears to me. Large sections of the population will never be able to do so given the nature of their work but I take it you believe they should also matter in any redefinition of work and how we live our lives?
@William Tallon: any jobs that can be done that easily are being done in India – it’s not that simple.
@William Tallon: if those who can work from home do then it’s also a win for those who can’t. Less traffic on the roads – cutting their travel time to work. Less people on public transport making it a more comfortable journey by that means. People working in local towns get a boost to their businesses. Perhaps generation of new opportunities for people in rural towns.
@William Tallon: Remote working doesn’t suit every job or every employee and in many cases it’s just not possible. Clearly people in these roles will benefit less from new working arrangements which is unfortunate but it shouldn’t deter anyone from looking for increased flexibility and a better work life balance where possible.
@dottiemac: I’m somewhat confused by your reply I have to admit. I’m at a loss to understand how construction work or transport services in Ireland for example can easily be done from India? They can’t be done from home in Ireland much less from India as they’re ‘hands-on’ occupations. Those who work in these sectors are some of the people I was referring to. Many other occupations can’t be outsourced or done from home. I think maybe you’ve missed my point.
@dottiemac: Would that not also mean fewer people required to work on public transport, fewer buses and trains that require cleaning and maintenance leading to inevitable job losses? Or businesses in towns and cities dependent on the trade of certain workers losing revenue and having to close with jobs once again inevitably being lost? There will be winners and losers as there always are with change. Businesses in cities will lose and there are no guarantees that this trade will be replicated in rural locations. Only time will tell of course. I have nothing against anyone working from home, by the way, I just find the rosy picture you’ve painted to be somewhat fanciful.
@Declan Doherty: That’s clarified it for me. When you said ‘us’ and ‘we’ you were referring only to the interests of that group of which you’re part who can viably work from home rather than all workers. Now I understand where you’re coming from.
@William Tallon: There will never be a situation that suits all… One thing is for sure however, people who have the option to work form home and are doing so will benefit from it.. I know you did not mention this, however it is not these peoples responsibility how businesses are run if footfall is low… But that business goes elsewhere, supermarkets and cafes for example close to peoples houses… If businesses have not prepared for this then thats on them..
@William Tallon: I’m a maintenance electrician in the food industry. Can you tell me your ideas to schedule breakdowns etc so me being part of everyone can have flexible working conditions?
Probably something to do with the vested interest the many TD’s (landlords) have in insanely high rents in Dublin.
@The CFC Standard: That or the lack of decent national public transport and the profit to be had by increasing car sales?
Decentralisation! Makes sense to have ‘remote working hubs’ in Athlone, Cavan, Kilkenny, Wexford, etc. Rents are cheaper, lower cost of living, less travel and less issues with air pollution. But that’s too simple!
5% increase in traffic in the last month, if it keeps going we’ll be back at peak traffic by May.
Agreed, it was a welcome decrease and certainly road accidents are going up as well.
Tax, and deductions .
Eg., would you have the right to claim deductions for the cost of travel from your two places of work?
Nice big tax take for the government with all the cars stuck in traffic jams burning insanely expensive fuel.
@Ciaran Maher: do you think it costs more in monetary or carbon terms to heat and supply electricity to a house for 9 hours or pay for fuel for a car for an hour?
Should get the Healy Rae brothers to remote work instead of driving separately in their big diesel cars to Dublin from Kilgarvan every Dail day, would save tens of tonnes of carbon per annum.
Sounds great but every time you ring any utility , health body or county council the excuse you get for inaction or failure to deal with issues or complaints is that staff are working from home. Recently this aired again on a Joe Duffy Liveline programme highlighting Eir complaints ‘Staff working from home cosequent to company lack of contact with customer queries/ complaints.
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