Following "intense discussions", driving-test inspectors have voted narrowly to accept a proposal by the Labour Relations Commission (LRC) to outsource 40,000 driving-tests to the private sector.
Sixty per cent of driver-testers voted to accept the one-off out-sourcing measure while 40 per cent rejected the proposal at a secret ballot in Athlone, Co Westmeath, yesterday.
The vote followed day-long discussions about the consequences of accepting the one-off outsourcing agreement to private contractor SGS Ltd.
About 100 driving-test inspectors attended yesterday's meeting, representing the vast majority of the sector. The backlog in driving-test applications stands at 140,000 and the waiting time is up to a year at some centres.
Despite yesterday's narrow acceptance of the outsource plan, union officials said there would be no opposition to the proposal.
"There is no suggestion of a fall-out or opposition despite the narrow vote in favour," said Tom Hoare, assistant general secretary of Impact, the union representing the driver-testers and organisers of yesterday's meeting.
"The alternative was confrontation. Some of the views were that if private people do their job, their own jobs are threatened."
Driver-testers also accepted yesterday that the number of outsourced tests could be extended by a further 5,000 if "deemed necessary" by the Department of Transport.
The LRC proposal recommended the once-off outsourcing and a liaison team to be established to ensure the objectives of the outsourcing contract are met and uniform standards are maintained.
These proposals were accepted by the Department of Transport last week.
Mr Hoare said one concern raised at the meeting was that the LRC's guarantee of a "dual standard" would be followed through by the department. However the real concern raised was the future of their jobs, he added.
Driving-testers are due to be moved to the Road Safety Authority.
"They will be out of the Civil Service and into agency work. They are concerned for the security of their jobs."
Mr Hoare added that driver-testers were reassured that the LRC had promised to monitor their transition to the authority and intervene if they believed their jobs were at risk.