Since late August DriveTest examiners have been on strike.
Recently, there was a little bit of give as Serco DES Inc., DriveTest’s employer, announced some essential services would resume but only for commercial classified licences and written tests. Only six locations across the province will offer this and Oshawa isn’t one of them.
That means DriveTest will not be conducting road tests for G2, G or D1 licences.
That also means hundreds of people in Oshawa are left waiting even longer. Even commercial drivers in the area will have to travel to Toronto to get their licences, as it’s the nearest place that is offering the service.

According to an employee at the Oshawa location, examiners can test drivers up to 15 times a day - that’s 75 people for the average five-day workweek. And that is just in Oshawa.
But the question on everyone’s mind is just how long is this going to last? How long are these employees going to keep rejecting offer after offer at the advice of their union?
While fighting for one’s right is a privilege, sometimes things get a little out of hand.
It is clear DriveTest is getting frustrated as the Managing Director Paul Dalglish has pointed out that the latest offer could be the final offer.
But what exactly is the problem? According to Dalglish, as well as some employees from the company, job security is an issue. So was the amount of employees being laid off during the winter season, when testing slows down.

But Dalglish says the company has accommodated these concerns to the best of their ability. The union, of course, thinks otherwise.
While negotiations have seemingly reached a plateau, the fact is Ontarians are being left out in the cold with nowhere to turn. It’s not like there is an alternative place where people can go to get their licence.
This problem needs to be resolved and soon. At the end of the day it’s something that both parties probably want.

At the beginning of the strike, one employee at the Oshawa centre said he wanted it over quickly and the workers around him agreed.
Perhaps now is the time.