A SECOND round of strikes has caused major disruption at driving test centres across the North-East.

Examiners in Darlington, Durham and Middlesbrough are staging fresh protests over changes in their contracts to introduce “flexible” working hours.

And another walkout is planned for Friday (December 4) which will cause more tests to be cancelled.

An overwhelming 91 per cent of Public and Commercial Services Union (PCS) members backed the strikes and the first picket was held two weeks ago.

During the first round of strikes, a spokesman at Darlington Driving Training Centre said: “Only those examiners in the union will strike and even then not all of them might chose to.

“The point is to cause as much impact as possible and we don’t really have a boat-load of staff if they do choose to be on the picket line.”

Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency test staff and traffic examiners have also joined the ongoing dispute over claims that new contracts terms are being forced through.

And waiting times at North-East test centres have risen since the first round of strikes with candidates facing a 13 week wait to take their driving test in Darlington.

Many of those who had driving exams cancelled took to social media to complain that they were only notified about cancellations two hours before they were due to take their test.

But talks between the DVSA and unions are yet to be resumed following a new standard employment contract being agreed in April 2014.

DVSA chief executive Paul Satoor said: “We have also recently offered operational staff a number of flexible working options to enable us to provide even more convenient and flexible services to our customers.

“It is disappointing that the trade unions have now chosen to oppose some aspects of the contract and the more flexible working options.

“We are doing everything we can to minimise and disruption to customers.”

But PCS Union general secretary Mark Serwotka is concerned over the impact on overall safety for road users.

He said: “The issues of road safety at the heart of this dispute are very serious and examiners deserve more than this petty-minded response from the DVSA.

“It is shocking that the agency appears happy to press ahead without negotiating or fully understanding the likely consequences of its actions.”

After similar strikes in 2014, test candidates were able to re-book their cancelled tests at no extra costs.

Nationwide pickets by union members are expected to continue and North-East centres will be picketed this Friday.