Driving testers have deferred a work-to-rule to allow a ballot on new proposals from the Department of the Environment.
These provide for the appointment of extra testers, improved working conditions and representation on a special review group that may consider privatising the testing system.
Testers will meet to hear details of the package on Saturday. In the meantime the threatened work-to-rule will not take place.
IMPACT official Ms Louise O'Donnell said yesterday that one of the key concessions secured was the right for testers to nominate two representatives to a management team to oversee a research project into why the waiting list of 92,000 for a driving test is not decreasing.
The threatened work-to-rule arose after the Minister of State for Urban Renewal at the Department of the Environment, Mr Bobby Molloy, announced he was appointing independent consultants to carry out the review.
One of the issues to be considered is understood to be privatisation. The Department, with IMPACT, has also agreed to look at driver testing in Northern Ireland.
Meanwhile, the number of permanent inspectors is to be increased from 79 to 100 and extra contract testers will be used to help to reduce the waiting list.
A new bonus scheme is being introduced to make overtime more attractive, and accommodation at test centres is to be improved. Ms O'Donnell says testers will probably accept the new terms, provided the Department of Finance confirms the necessary resources are to be made available.
About 170,000 driving tests are held annually, but because of the waiting list of 92,000 many people have to wait up to 29 weeks for a test.