Driving test inspectors have voted in favour of proposals from the Labour Relations Comission to outsource 45,000 tests to a private company in an attempt to cut the waiting list for new licences.
The 120 inspectors postponed 1,300 driving tests throughout the country today to allow the meeting in Athlone, Co Westmeath, to take place.
Speaking on RTÉ Radio's News At One, the Minister for Transport, Martin Cullen, said outsourcing is fundamental to clearing the backlog of driving tests.
Speaking earlier on RTÉ Radio's Morning Ireland, IMPACT Secretary General Tom Hoare said the cancellations were unavoidable and that the meeting could not be held outside a normal working day.
Learner-drivers, many of whom have been on the waiting list for up to 18 months, were only notified of the development just days before they were due to take the test.
