Industrial action by Prospect members at DVSA has been called off after the agency approached ACAS to help resolve the dispute.

The union’s decision to call off strike action came as Prospect staff held their second full day’s strike last Friday  (3 December). This was in protest against the revised pay and conditions introduced as part of the the DVSA’s modernisation of employment contract (MEC).

A DVSA spokesman told Motortransport.co.uk that staff had called off their industrial action “late in the day” on Friday.

The decision to suspend action followed news that DVSA had set aside time on Friday for talks with conciliation service ACAS.

In a statement DVSA interim chief executive Paul Satoor, said: “I am pleased that the Prospect trade union has decided to suspend its industrial action and engage with us in talks. We are doing everything we can to avoid disruption to customers.”

The decision by both parties to return to negotiations follows an increasingly bitter battle which, until last Friday, had looked intractable, with DVSA insisting the MEC signed in April 2014 by staff was not up for renegotiation and Prospect threatening to escalate industrial action.

A Prospect spokesman confirmed "we are in talks at Acas". However, asked for further comment he added: "We won't be making a statement further than that at the current time."

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