The Fórsa driver testers at the Road Safety Authority claim their employer does not provide an effective insurance verification system for vehicles presented for driving tests.
A union spokesperson said RSA management has failed to ensure that driver testers are fully, and unconditionally, indemnified while carrying out their work.
He said the absence of a proper insurance verification system and inadequate indemnity protections, has left staff exposed and under pressure to proceed with tests “in circumstances that would be unacceptable in any other area of public service”.
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Today’s News in 90 Seconds – Friday, December 19
The union claimed a memo issued by management to driver testers on December 9 confirmed that staff are not automatically covered by the State Claims Agency if they conduct a test in a vehicle that is not properly insured.
“Instead, the memo stated that a driver tester would only be covered in circumstances where he or she could prove negligence on the part of the RSA, which driver testers regard as a serious and ongoing risk,” said the spokesperson.
The union claimed management has acknowledged the legitimacy of driver tester concerns.
“We’re calling for urgent and concrete measures to remove this risk from individual workers, including guaranteed indemnity arrangements and access to the National Insurance Database,” said Fórsa official Ruairí Creaney.
“Every car presented for a driving test must be properly insured.
“Without a reliable verification system, we risk sending testers out in cars that simply aren’t fit to be on the road. A car presented for a driving test must be fit to take to the road, and that includes being fully insured.”
Philip Lambert, Fórsa branch chairperson and a driver tester in Dún Laoghaire, said driver testers should not be expected to climb into a vehicle with a member of the public and hope for the best.
“If a crash happens and the vehicle turns out to be uninsured, we cannot be left in a position where our protection depends on proving negligence, potentially after a costly legal battle.
“That is not good enough. We want a straightforward guarantee of indemnity in all aspects of our work, and a proper insurance verification system so staff can do their jobs safely and with confidence,” he said.
The driver tester ballot ends on January 6.
The Irish Independent has contacted the Road Safety Authority for comment.