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NCT Strike Ends
2001-05-04 - By Philip Byrne
National car testing centres around the country will re-open later today (13th March) following a decision by employees to return to work.
At a meeting in Tullamore, SIPTU members from 40 national car testing centres around the country voted to return to work by a margin of 73 to 41yesterday afternoon.
As a result National Car Testing Ltd is to send out letters inviting 30,000 motorists whose tests were cancelled as a result of a strike to rebook.
The Department of the Environment and Local Government waived tests for owners of older cars who needed to tax their vehicles during the 11-week dispute. New instructions will be issued to motor tax offices in the next few days to phase out the exemptions. Under the waiver system any owner of a pre-1992 car could obtain a three-month road tax disc and owners of pre-1996 cars could obtain a 12-month disc.
The majority of the 30,000 motorists affected by the dispute are in Dublin, where the strike began. It took two weeks to spread to provincial centres. About 1,400 cars can be tested daily, so on this basis the backlog should be cleared in about a month. However, January to April is the busiest time of year for car tests and registration. A spokesperson for the NCTS, Samantha Breen, said it might be May before all customers were dealt with. People due to tax their cars this month and next will be invited to book tests on the assumption that motorists due to renew their road tax in January and February will have availed of the waiver.
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