The DriveTest strike is over.

Ontario residents have not been able to get new drivers’ licenses or get their existing licenses renewed for the past four months, but they’ll have their chance again in the New Year.

Employees have been off the job since August 21.

Most centres are scheduled to open for business on January 4, while DriveTest “travel points” will open on January 5.

The backlog of exams is expected to take months to clear. Serco DES Inc is planning to hire roughly 100 new employees to deal with the surge in demand.

The details of the agreement are being kept under wraps, but the strike was triggered by a demand for protection on full-time jobs, as well as wages and benefits.

Serco operates 55 full-time examination centres in Ontario and 38 part-time locations.

In 2003, after the province decided to privatize its driver examination operations, Serco acquired the right to provide services for the Ministry of Transportation for 10 years.