Driver testers are going on strike next week in a row over the hiring of new contractors by the Road Safety Authority (RSA). The trade union IMPACT says the move is in direct contravention of a Labour Court ruling which recommended the recruitment of a reserve body of testers to avoid a backlog in test applications.

It is bad news for anyone with a driving test after 2pm on April 2nd.

Customers who are due to take their test that day are being notified of the disruption, and the RSA says plans are in place to reschedule their tests at no cost.

The RSA says it has, in accordance with Labour Relations Commission (LRC) recommendations, established a panel of five reserve driver testers to help in reducing the impact of short-notice sick leave absences on customers.

It adds that this service will only be drawn down if required.

The RSA claims that in 2012, 11,880 driving tests were not conducted due to sick leave taken by driver testers and that 8,200 of these tests were not covered from spare capacity.

The body says it is "extremely disappointed" with the stance taken by IMPACT. But Assistant General-Secretary Denis Rohan says their hands are tied.