Bonum Certa Men Certa

Translation of Article Highlights Bavarian Political Motion, Protest Scale and Severity in Munich

Protest article



Summary: Protests in Munich covered by the media, including pertinent details about them and the new intervention from the Bavarian Parliament

A lot happened yesterday at the EPO. Aside from reports about the outcome of the Administrative Council's meeting there was Bavarian Parliament intervention. "The party that brought this motion is well-respected," Florian Müller told me this morning "and, as your article notes, centrist. More center-right than center-left." Details about the staff protest can be found in German media. An original article in German (reasonably long compared to some) is now behind a paywall, but the English translation is below with highlights:



2000 against one



Munich (DK) in the crisis-ridden European Patent Office (EPO), the President has to deal with the crumbling support of the Member States. At the same time outside, 2000 employees claim his resignation.

Again and again must Ion Brumme interrupt his speech. Again and again, the about 2000 people who gathered in front of the European Patent Office at the Isar in Munich, loudly shout. "Démission! Démission!" it reverberates towards the EPO, one of the most important offices for the European economy, which for months threatens to sink into chaos.

The demand for resignation has been deliberately kept in French. Since the addressee is the French EPO President Benoît Battistelli, who has fallen out with many employees and who is fighting a bitter power struggle with the union SUEPO. Battistelli has become accustomed to office staff gathering in front of his Office to demonstrate against him – that has happened regularly for about one and a half years. Yesterday, however, the demonstration was of particular importance.

Because simultaneously with the protests, which were attended by more than half of the about 4000 EPO staff working in Munich, the patent organisation's Administrative Council had a meeting inside the building. The meeting had been eagerly expected since inconsistencies between Battistelli and the Administrative Council had become public in advance. The backing for the controversial president in the control panel, in which the 38 member states of the international organization are represented, had evidently shrunk in the recent months. There have even been speculations about a vote of no confidence against Battistelli. Official statements on the results of the Administrative Council meeting, which continues today, are expected only after its end.

For Ion Brumme there is only one solution: "Battistelli can no longer be tolerated!" and "Battistelli! It is time to go!" he calls out to the crowd and reaps cheers and applause. Brumme is one of two leading trade unionists and staff representatives that had recently been thrown out by Battistelli. The reversal of the dismissals and an independent audit of the bullying allegations the sackings were based on, are just one of the demands of the demonstrators. Among other things, they also expect: end the surveillance, internal investigations in line with the principles of the rule-of-law and no nagging of sick employees.

Elizabeth Hardon, the other dismissed unionist, reproaches Battistelli for wanting to split SUEPO. Staff representatives from other EPO sites report that the Administrative Council would increase the pressure on Battistelli. At the same time figures are read, which shall express the displeasure of the staff. According to a staff survey, the proportion of employees with mental health problems has increased within the last three years from two to eleven percent, due to the high working pressure in the office.

Meanwhile, this issue has also reached Bavarian politics. Yesterday, the party 'Freie Wähler' [FW] brought an urgent motion with the title "Secure the Bavarian level of worker protection in the whole of Bavaria: remind the European Patent Office of its duty" into the Bavarian parliament. In this motion they complain that in the EPO "there are obviously significant deficiencies" with respect to the labour law status of the employees. Worker protection at Bavarian level should apply to the whole territory of the Free State [of Bavaria], even if the Patent Office is a non-Bavarian institution.

"Bayern must not stand idly by when human rights violations occur in the European Patent Office - based in Munich", said the spokesperson for social politics of the FW party, Gabi Schmidt . Above all the internal investigations in the EPO, where defendants have no right to remain silent, are an eyesore for the FW.

The Patent Office by the way keeps calm about the demonstrations. That they were permitted and declared as a fundamental right, would show that social dialogue is possible, told us the communication department. The president's offer to talk to the unions would still be valid, and SUEPO was called to return to the negotiating table. But when simultaneously 2000 employees shout "Démission!" the dialogue can be expected to be difficult.

By Daniel Wenisch


Later today, if and when new information arrives, we shall publish it as soon as possible. We already have some stories on the way, but they are not so urgent or emergent.

Recent Techrights' Posts

Writing and Coding Isn't Always Enough
Last year we had to assume a role we didn't have before: litigants
Autumn Has Come
Autumn should be exciting in all sorts of ways; it'll also mark our anniversary
IBM Has Taken Control of GNOME
Don't expect a successor to be found any time soon
 
Links 01/09/2025: Fresh Backlash Against Slop and "Norway’s Electricity Crisis is About to Hit Britain"
Links for the day
Links 01/09/2025: Catching Up (Mostly via Deutsche Welle), "Windows TCO" Effect in UK
Links for the day
Gemini Links 01/09/2025: Linguistic Barriers and "Web 1.0 Hosting"
Links for the day
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Sunday, August 31, 2025
IRC logs for Sunday, August 31, 2025
The UEFI 9/11 - Part IV - External Interference
They all seem to be playing a role in crushing Software Freedom and self-determination for users
Links 31/08/2025: Baggage Claim Scams, an Insurrectionist’s War on Culture, and a Sudden Robotics Hype
Links for the day
Gemini Links 31/08/2025: Reviewing Netsurf and Slightly Less Historic Ada Design
Links for the day
Links 31/08/2025: Google Gmail Data Breach and LF Puff Pieces for Pay
Links for the day
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Saturday, August 30, 2025
IRC logs for Saturday, August 30, 2025
This is What Google News Has Become
Moments ago
The Slopfarm WebProNews Has Turned Google News Into a Laughing Stock Full of Plagiarism by Slop
If Google News dies of neglect, that's one thing. It's starting to seem like active neglect by Google is a form of participation.
Do What is Moral, as What's Legal Isn't Always Moral
Do what's objectively moral, no matter the costs and the risks
Slopwatch: Google News Assisting Plagiarism and Anti-Linux FUD, Serial Slopper Rips Off Linux-Centric Journalists
This makes the Web a much worse place and lessens the incentive to do journalism
Links 30/08/2025: NVIDIA Fakes Results to Hide a Bubble Already in Implosion Phase, Data Breaches Galore, Important Win for Workers' Union in Canada
Links for the day
Representing and Speaking for Animals
If I ever choose to take this matter to tribunal with animals-centric NGOs on my side, it'll get some press coverage for sure
The UEFI 9/11 - Part II - Campaign of Censorship and Defamation Against Critics
In dictatorships, humour serves an important role. It's tragic.
In Kazakhstan, Yandex Estimated to be 20 Times Bigger Than Microsoft
Bing is measured as down this month
Shutterstock Not Enough? The Register MS Uses Slop Images in Articles (Seemingly More and More Over Time)
Cost-saving trajectory amid office shutdown?
Gemini Links 30/08/2025: Games, PostmarketOS, and Slop
Links for the day
Links 30/08/2025: Imgur Uproar and Many Ukraine Updates (Mediazona Reports Over 200,000 Russians Died for Putin)
Links for the day
How Not to Build Software
code forges that need a Web browser perhaps fill some 'niche' demand
GAFAM and "MATA"
The use of dark humour there hopefully helps illuminate what a lot of "modern" technology became like and how it interacts with human civilisation (to what ends and whose gain)
Birds Are Not "Pests and Vermin", Privacy is Not a Crime, and GNU/Linux is Not 'Hacking Platform'
I could not help but think of Free software analogies
The Sites Should Be Very Fast Again
That issue is now resolved
Flying in 2025
worse than ever before
Activists, Including Technical Activists, Need Not Pursue Affirmation
Techrights doesn't play or participate in a "popularity contest"
The UEFI 9/11 - Part III - Chaos is Scheduled to Happen Second Thursday of September (No Matter What the Microsofters Tell You)
The clock is ticking
Downplaying the Impact of "UEFI 9/11" is a Losing Strategy
we won't publish much whilst on holiday
Government Sites Should Run Free Software
Not proprietary bloatware with buzzwords
LLM Slopfarms Take No Breaks
When people run sites by bots they don't need to worry about "breaks"
GNOME Having a Meltdown Again
Thanks and farewell to Steven Deobald
Gemini Links 30/08/2025: Low Tech and Hunchbin 1.0.6
Links for the day
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Friday, August 29, 2025
IRC logs for Friday, August 29, 2025