Bonum Certa Men Certa

Inside the EPO During Corona: SUEPO (EPO Staff Union) and the Central Staff Committee Blast the Office for Illegal Practices and Threaten Legal Action

The EPO is breaking the employees' bank to feed the management's gambling addiction

Green Piggy Bank



Summary: The Staff Union of the European Patent Office (SUEPO) and the Central Staff Committee (CSC) are escalating their tone; the management of the Office and the Organisation is running out of time as staff loses its patience and its tolerance for the repeated abuses by the administration

BACK in September, as cases of COVID-19 were starting to increase/rebound across western Europe, the Central Executive Committee of the EPO's union (SUEPO) wrote to the EPO's chiefs (Chairman of the Administrative Council and the person whom he pretends to be bossing).



"It cannot be overstated; these letters are relatively polite and diplomatic ways of conveying something very severe in an Office where staff is threatened and staff representatives are gagged with menacing letters from Benoît Battistelli loyalists."The timing of publication of this letter (an open letter circulated among staff) is noteworthy for a number of reasons, partly because of the meeting of the Administrative Council and partly because of another letter -- one we'll come to later. Here's the letter in full, threatening impending legal action over the Salary Adjustment Procedure (SAP) -- incidentally justified by a "hoax study" connected to a far-right-feeding family (to quote an article from the next batch of Daily Links: "Parler was founded in 2018 by two computer programmers named John Matze and Jared Thomson, and is financially backed by Rebekah Mercer, whose father is Robert Mercer. Robert Mercer is the co-founder of Cambridge Analytica and a hedge fund manager. He's also a major funder of Breitbart."):

9 September 2020 su20033cl – 0.2.1/0.3.1/4.2.2/5.1

Open Letter

To: Mr António Campinos; President of the EPO CC: Mr Josef Kratochvíl; Chairman of the Administrative Council

Avoiding mass-appeals against the new Salary Adjustment Procedure

Dear Mr. Campinos,

With CA/D 4/201 the Administrative Council adopted an amended Salary Adjustment Procedure (SAP), despite strong opposition from staff and its representatives.

The first effects of this new procedure are now visible: de facto we are without an SAP for the 2nd half of this year, and the adjustment over 2019, normally due for July, was not carried out.

SUEPO is preparing the corresponding legal actions, which we will need to launch before the end of September. Since this new SAP is to the detriment of all staff, SUEPO intends to invite all staff to start with filing the upcoming Request for Review, and further legal actions as needed.

However, in an attempt to avoid flooding the administration with lots of Requests, Appeals etc., SUEPO is prepared to identify a few key stakeholders, and pursue the legal route with only these few appellants – provided that we have a commitment from the President of the EPO that the final outcome of this legal route will be applied to all staff.

Given the time required to inform staff and allow them to file the first requests before the end of September, we look forward to receiving your answer to this request by Friday, 18th of September, close of business. In the absence of any clear reply from your services, we will see ourselves forced to invite staff to massively show their discontent and file the Request for Review.

Yours sincerely,

Joachim Michels Chairman of SUEPO Central

_____ 1 Link to CA/D 4/20


Those who have been following recent SUEPO publications would not be surprised by this, seeing the growing anger and sense of betrayal.

Lawsuits for Christmas?

Christmas wreath"Mr Campinos pushed his reform of the Salary Adjustment Procedure (SAP) despite the absence of any financial gap at the EPO," SUEPO told members of the union. "The first effects of this new procedure are now visible: de facto staff is without an SAP for the 2nd half of 2020, and the adjustment over 2019, normally due for July, was not carried out. [...] In this letter dated 9 September, SUEPO has requested a commitment from Mr Campinos that the final outcome of this legal route will be applied to all staff. Until now, the letter remains unanswered."

Of course. As usual. SUEPO said that nearly a fortnight after the letter had been sent.

Chairman of the Central Staff Committee (CSC) Alain Dumont wrote to the President of the European Patent Office, António Campinos, the following letter. Reminder: it's very important to bear in mind that the Committee (CSC) tends to be a lot softer and more diplomatic/polite than the union for obvious reasons (its role inside the office), so when taken into account the tone of this letter is quite strong:

Reference: sc20146cl – 0.3.1/4.2.2 Date: 01.10.2020

European Patent Office | 80298 MUNICH | GERMANY

Mr António Campinos President of the EPO

ISAR – Room 1081

OPEN LETTER

Implementation of Article 1 of CA/D 4/20

Dear Mr President,

On 30 June 2020, the Administrative Council took the decision CA/D 4/20 amending with effect from 1 July 2020 the Implementing Rule for Article 64 of the Service Regulations for permanent and other employees of the European Patent Office and winding up the 2014 salary adjustment procedure. Article 1 of this decision foresees:

(1) Any remainder of an adjustment within the meaning of Article 8(2) of the salary adjustment procedure applicable from 2014 to 2020 that has not been absorbed over the subsequent adjustments will be used to adjust the scales used for the purpose of calculating the next adjustment.

(2) Where the moderation clause applied, the amounts resulting from the delayed adjustment will be paid out as a lump sum to the employees and pensioners concerned.

Notwithstanding the legality and lawfulness of the above decision and its implementation, which is currently a matter of dispute between employees of the European Patent Office and the Organisation, the Central Staff Committee would like to ask you to inform staff about when said adjustments of the scales and said payment of lump sums will be made.

Yours sincerely,

Alain Dumont Chairman of the Central Staff Committee


This letter is dated October.

"In this open letter," the CSC wrote in its address to staff, "we ask the President when he will proceed to the outstanding adjustments of the scales and payment of lump sums in order to implement Article 1 of decision CA/D 4/20." ("Winding up the former salary adjustment procedure: Adjustments of scales and payment of lump sums").

It cannot be overstated; these letters are relatively polite and diplomatic ways of conveying something very severe in an Office where staff is threatened and staff representatives are gagged with menacing letters from Benoît Battistelli loyalists. Given the 0% trust rate in the Council and just 3% trust rate in the President (that's like one person in a whole classroom of pupils!), it seems safe to say that Campinos has run out of time and out of favour. Expect things to get more combative. We've already seen more recent correspondence and we're deciding how to disclose it and when. Readers who can offer more information and insights likely know how to contact us. We'd love to hear from insiders.

Recent Techrights' Posts

Walmart Vizio TVs Scream At Immigrants to Leave America
Reprinted with permission from Ryan Farmer
How Corporations Such as Microsoft Try to Crush Critics and Dissolve Activism
Stay focused
Wikipedia Can Lower Its Hosting Bill by Going More Static, Not Just by Caching, But It Would Not Solve Its Biggest Problems (Bribes and AstroTurfing)
For about 15 years we had a Wiki in this site
Urgent Need for SLAPP Litigation Transparency
Microsofters really want to shut us up
On Shutdowns and 2,000 More Layoffs at Microsoft (10,000 Microsoft Staff May Have Already Been Laid Off in 2025)
Microsoft tries to hide and belittle mass layoffs; its data centre business also flounders, so it issues puff pieces about some anniversary over and over again
Open Source Initiative (OSI) Privacy Fiasco in Detail: A "Deep Dive" Into the Complaint at the California Privacy Protection Agency
There are many facets to it and it may be the first complaint of several
 
Nearly 5,000 Microsoft Layoffs Disclosed on Week of Microsoft 'Anniversary' (Media Noise), The HR Digest Says More Layoffs Coming
more "Microsoft layoffs on the horizon"
Windows "Market Share" Down to 1% in Sudan, Based on statCounter
Among those 1% who use Windows to access the Web fewer than 30% are on Vista 11
People Who Facilitate Truth Will Always Win at the End
"Just always stick to the truth"
Slopwatch: LinuxTechLab, linuxsecurity.com, "Cyber Security News" and More LLM Slopfarms
So the Web has this bunch of slopfarms pretending to "cover" GNU/Linux
Links 08/04/2025: More Mass Layoffs Expected at Microsoft (Gaming), Fentanylware (TikTok) Unsold
Links for the day
Gemini Links 08/04/2025: "Shared Ownership" and Rant About Scrapers
Links for the day
Links 08/04/2025: Microsoft Shrinking, Oracle's Clown Computing Cracked
Links for the day
Stolen Credit Card and LinkedIn. DHS Spies on Immigrant Social Media.
Reprinted with permission from Ryan Farmer
At 50, Microsoft Has Over 100 Billion Dollars in Debt and Less Than 25% "Market Share" (Windows)
statCounter basically sees less than a quarter of Web requests coming from Windows
linuxhint.com Died 12 Months Ago (After Adopting Image Slop)
Zombie sites
LLM Slop Will Eventually Stop Due to High Costs, Worse Training Sets (Polluted Models Ingesting Their Own Junk), and No Real Returns
This too shall pass
Courage is Contagious
I became a witness to acts of great courage from EPO examiners
Gemini Links 08/04/2025: Gabbro 0.1.4 and Disillusioned With Social Control Media
Links for the day
Microsoft Windows in Jordan: From 99% Down to 10%
This is becoming more "normal"
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Monday, April 07, 2025
IRC logs for Monday, April 07, 2025
Gemini Links 07/04/2025: Stock Market, Galène, and DMT Entities
Links for the day
During the Weekend We Said Fedora DEI Requires Proprietary Software, Now the Chat About It Is No Longer Accessible Over the Open Web
is this just a coincidence and an habitual change in Element?
Microsoft Problems in Europe Even Before the Cheeto Tariffs
The case of Romania, Europe's notorious Microsoft fan
Oman in 2025: GNU/Linux Growing to 5%
what can Microsoft do about it except sabotage the PCs?
Links 07/04/2025: US Measles Fatalities and China Launches HDMI and DisplayPort Alternative
Links for the day
Links 07/04/2025: More Cuts to Science Funding, Snail-speed Internet in Germany
Links for the day
Gemini Links 07/04/2025: Leasehold and Safe Gifts
Links for the day
Microsoft Shares Collapse Again (Down $101), Fifth Round of Microsoft Mass Layoffs in Less Than 100 Days in 2025
disaster
In Some Countries, Laptops and Desktops Become a Dying Breed (Even Before Tariffs), Windows Has Nowhere to Go
expect more GNU/Linux on new and existing laptops
When the Credibility or 'Quality' of Clients Ceases to Matter, It's About Helping Rich Companies Like Microsoft Censor Critics (No Matter the Risks)
Bad ideas typically result in undesirable outcomes
UAE: GNU/Linux and Android at Record Levels, Windows at New Lows and Falling Below Apple
Even iOS is measured as bigger than Windows this month
Links 07/04/2025: Reddit Occupied (Social Control Media Controlled by Oligarchy), Demise of Globalisation Ongoing
Links for the day
Windows Has Fallen to All-Time Lows in Switzerland Since GNU Celebrated 40th Anniversary (GNU’s 40th Birthday in Biel, Switzerland)
GNU/Linux has been doing well in Switzerland
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Sunday, April 06, 2025
IRC logs for Sunday, April 06, 2025
Links 07/04/2025: Leaving Gemini/smolweb and Mastodon Migrations
Links for the day
In Iraq, Windows 3.1 (Percent)
There's also zero
One Person's Take on Jef Spaleta, the New Fedora Project Leader
"With a little searching, I wonder what else may be found regarding Microsoft."
Links 06/04/2025: Flood, Cool Gemini Capsule, and Long Form
Links for the day
Links 06/04/2025: Science, Politics, and Pricier Goods
Links for the day
LLM Slop Has Virtually Killed unixmen.com and Many Other Sites
There's no longer any incentive to write real articles in there
Sharp Declines for Microsoft Windows in Bangladesh (Pop. ~175,000,000), Big Gains for GNU/Linux
Microsoft Windows has been having a really hard time in poor countries
Links 06/04/2025: Fake Reviews, Privatisation Heists, and "AI" as Smokescreen for Impoverishing Humans
Links for the day
Taking a Moral Stand Against Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation (SLAPPs) and the Worst Offenders/Facilitators
Any other stance would sidle with moral depravity or moral hazard
Links 06/04/2025: Many New Acts of Repression and Elements of Financial Depression
Links for the day
In Qatar GNU/Linux Rose From Under 1% to Over 4% in Two Years (or Over 5% If Counting ChromeOS)
It's a big improvement compared to what we saw last year
LLM Scrapers Are a Nuisance, But They're Also a Reminder It's Time to Make Your Site Static
Perhaps the best protection is the ability to endure surges
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Saturday, April 05, 2025
IRC logs for Saturday, April 05, 2025
Links 06/04/2025: Attacks on Education, Fake Patents, and Fake (Illegal) Patent Courts
Links for the day
France: Apple and Microsoft Down, GNU/Linux Up to New Record Levels
How will tariffs against France impact things in the coming months?