DVLA: Minister refuses to say if he scrapped strike deal

A coronavirus outbreak was declared at the DVLA last year.

A UK minister has twice refused to answer questions about whether he scrapped a deal that could have ended an industrial dispute at the DVLA.

Workers at the agency in Swansea are on strike over Covid-safety concerns.

The PCS union says that a deal had been on the table but was scuppered at the last minute.

Transport Secretary Grant Shapps accused the union of switching to demands over pay, and said millions had been invested to make the DVLA safe.

A coronavirus outbreak was declared at the DVLA's Swansea Vale contact centre last December, with 96 cases found among staff there when it was declared over in February.

At the time Public Health Wales said 560 cases had been detected among employees of the UK government vehicle licensing agency in a six month period.

The organisation, which has two sites in Swansea, employs 6,000 people.

Walkouts have taken place since April. The union said 700 were going on the latest three-day strike, ending on Thursday, with another walkout planned for next week.

According to the union, the agreement had included a one off payment of £200 and a phased return for staff who have been on paid leave during the pandemic.

• DVLA staff go on strike over Covid 'fear'

• Further strike action at DVLA over Covid safety

• Covid outbreak declared at DVLA centre

Gower Labour MP Tonia Antoniazzi told the Commons that two weeks ago PCS and the agency had reached a deal to end the dispute.

"In a development, unprecedented in 20 years of civil service negotiations, the department subsequently reneged on a deal, much of which they had written themselves, with no word of explanation," she said.

Ms Antoniazzi accused the government of an "ideological refusal" to find a resolution, and asked: "Are PCS right in believing that the deal was scuppered at the last minute after the direct intervention of the secretary of state?"

Mr Shapps did not address the question, but said the strike was unnecessary.

He said the industrial action is "reported to be about safety when in fact £4.7m has been invested within the DVLA to make it Covid safe".

"An additional building has been rented, air conditions has been changed so the air comes directly in from the outside."

He accused the union of switching from safety "to demands about pay and demands about holidays which have nothing to do with being Covid secure".

Grant Shapps said the strike was unnecessary

Shadow Transport Secretary Jim McMahon asked Mr Shapps again if he or his department "pulled the deal", but Mr Shapps did not provide an answer to the Labour frontbencher.

"The fact of the matter is, the safety concerns have been signed off by Public Health Wales, by the Health and Safety Executive, by the Welsh government, by the UK government," he said.

PCS general secretary Mark Serwotka accused Mr Shapps of "cowardice" and "repeatedly" refusing to answer MPs questions.

"His attempt to shift the blame on to hard working staff at the DVLA for the current impasse is consistent with a minister who lacks the courage to admit what he has done," he said, calling for the original deal to be put "back on the table".

The DVLA says that it currently has one positive case out of its workforce, and that of 25,000 tests done by the agency to date there have been five positive results which helped identify asymptomatic people working in the office.

A DVLA spokesman said: "It's disappointing to see the Public and Commercial Services union choosing to continue with industrial action and targeting services that will have the greatest negative impact on the public, affecting some of the more vulnerable people in society, including the printing and mailing of documents such as vaccine letters for the NHS, just as restrictions are starting to ease.

"We have been negotiating in good faith and will continue to do so with the aim of finding a workable solution.

"The safety of our staff is paramount and since the beginning of the year we have implemented weekly Covid testing for everyone.

"As these measures have been implemented, we have worked closely with Public Health Wales along with Swansea Environmental Health and the Health and Safety Executive, who have conducted regular site visits and inspections and have repeatedly confirmed a high level of compliance with control measures."