Bonum Certa Men Certa

Working Conditions at EPO Deteriorate and Staff Inquires About Pension Rights

Moving the pension to one's own country makes perfect sense; at least one can chase local politicians when things go awry

UK Pensioners Referendum; Work a lifetime for the EPO; Only to be lied to (about its financial state)



Summary: Work is becoming a lot worse (not even compliant with the law!) and promises are constantly being broken, so staff is starting to chase management for answers and assurances pertaining to finances

MANY EPO workers rely on their future pension, which is diminishing before their eyes (defying promises made when they joined or left the Office). The pension fraud of Sirius 'Open Source' is a subject we'll tackle in months to come (many victims, and they owe people a lot of money for other reasons), but today we focus on the EPO. As we noted before, many experienced examiners retired early and continue to retire early. They cannot take it anymore. As testament or fresh evidence to support it, consider this new publication or message circulated by the EPO's Local Staff Committee of Munich and Brussels (not the union but formally elected staff representatives):

Has BTT improved your life in the Office?



Dear colleagues,

The so-called Bringing Teams Together (BTT) project is already showing its negative effects on many staff. Flexibility with regards to working mainly at home and/or abroad, as desired by a significant number of colleagues, should have allowed a reasonable reduction in office space without interfering in our daily work. However, the haste with which BTT has been implemented, and the excessive reduction in office space (through the closure in Munich of Pschorr Bauteile V-VII and floors 6 to 8 of Bauteile I-IV) which has been pushed through by the administration, are already causing significant problems to many colleagues, in particular those who have not been allocated a permanent office despite working in the Office premises three (or even four!) days per week. Many of these colleagues now feel like second-class employees who feel that their connection to their team, close colleagues and the Office in general will be negatively impacted.

In order to produce a more complete picture of what is happening, we kindly ask you to spend a couple of minutes of your time to answer (at least some of) the following questions – [redacted]:

How much time have you lost because you had to empty your permanent office (and set up a new one, if relevant)?

On a weekly basis, how much time do you lose with booking, finding and setting up an office for the day?

Which problems do you encounter when using an office for the day?

Has BTT improved or degraded your team dynamics?

Are you happy that BTT is being implemented?

Do you have any other problems to report? Or any other comments?

Thank you for your help!


The Central Staff Committee (CSC) of the EPO circulated the following this week:

Inward transfer of pension rights from the United Kingdom



Dear colleagues,

According to Article 12 Pension Regulations, an employee who enters the service of the Office may arrange for payment to the Office, in accordance with the Implementing Rules hereto, of any amounts corresponding to the retirement pension rights accrued under his previous pension schemes, provided that those schemes allow such transfers to be made.

In this letter, we seek the administration’s assistance in clarifying the status of the possibility of transferring pension rights from the United Kingdom, by asking them some questions.

In our view, it is in the best interest of the EPO and of staff to allow as many inward transfers of pensions as possible. Indeed, we can be proud of the work of, and the trust given by staff to its pension and fund management teams.

If your request for inward transfer from the UK has been rejected / was not possible, please get in touch with us at [redacted]



Here is the corresponding document (letter):

Reference: sc23062cl Date: 25/05/2023

Mr Jan Boulanger Director HR Essential Services

By email OPEN LETTER

Inward transfer of pension rights from the United Kingdom



Dear Mr Boulanger,

According to Article 12 Pension Regs, an employee who enters the service of the Office may arrange for payment to the Office, in accordance with the Implementing Rules hereto, of any amounts corresponding to the retirement pension rights accrued under his previous pension schemes, provided that those schemes allow such transfers to be made.

We would like to seek your assistance in clarifying the status of the possibility of transferring pension rights from the UK. Indeed, for a certain period, HR seemed to have informed new colleagues that a transfer of pension rights from the UK was not possible, and requests for transfer from the UK national pension system, HMRC, were not accepted. However, according to the EPO Intranet (dated 9 September 2022), transfers from the UK are now possible:

EPO's UK pension

In the following our questions on this topic:

1. It seems that the EPO's new pension scheme appeared for some time on the list of Recognised Overseas Pension Schemes (ROPS) of HMRC. Apparently, the EPO’s new pension scheme does not appear in the current list available online today. At least until 2015, the pension fund of the EPO was a ROPS. Apparently, the EPO’s new pension scheme has been classified again as a ROPS, allegedly in or around 2019, and still holds this status. Can you confirm this information?

2. What was the reason why transfers of pension rights from the UK were not possible for some time? Do the reasons concern the severance grant and the fact that funds transferred from the UK to the EPO can theoretically be paid out to EPO staff in the first 10 years of service and aged below 55? (This would collide, in our understanding, with some UK regulations.)

3. What types of pension rights (e.g., 1st or 2nd pillar) can be transferred today from the UK?

4. For what periods since 2012 has a transfer of pension rights from the UK not been possible, and for what reasons?

5. Because of the re-classification mentioned above, transfers of pension rights from the UK have been theoretically possible since around 2019. Has this been announced on the EPO Intranet? Can colleagues request a retroactive transfer of pension rights from the UK in case their time limit for application (Rule 12.1/1 (vi) (a)) fell in the period when a transfer was not possible? (Rule 12.1/1 (vi) (b))

6. Since 2019, have there been any transfers of pension rights from the UK?

7. Will it be possible for future newcomers to transfer pension rights from the UK?

8. Is there any written agreement on pension transfers between the EPO and HMRC? If yes – has it been made public?

We assume that we can all agree that it is in the best interest of the EPO and of staff to allow as many inward transfers of pensions as possible. Indeed, we can be proud of the work of, and the trust given by staff to its pension and fund management teams.

We remain available for any clarification on the questions. Thank you very much for your assistance.

Yours sincerely,

Alain Dumont Chairman of the Central Staff Committee


Remember that HMRC is there to protect the King (His Majesty, HM), not the general population or the national interest. I wrote about it earlier this month based on direct experience (as a victim of tax fraud).

"The whole scenario was never pretty and it has taken an ugly turn given the degree/extent of facilitation elsewhere in the British system."As one who had several ordeals with pension fraud (and my colleagues also, including my wife) we're going to cover pension issues for months to come; the corruption goes all the way up to the top. Politicians are now looking into our cases. It's not just money at stake (civil aspect) but also jailing of management (crimes were committed). The system is awfully slow, but the slowness too won't deter us and that too is an aspect worth exposing. Why has it taken 6 months already despite us going (almost) as fast as feasible? Anyway, we have a detailed list of steps to come. If some culprits end up hanging themselves before they're jailed, they only have themselves to blame. The whole scenario was never pretty and it has taken an ugly turn given the degree/extent of facilitation elsewhere in the British system. I lost all confidence in it (at every legal level). As I said repeatedly months ago, the British pension schemes are somewhat of a scam and I strongly urge people to verify, not trust anything. That's based on months of investigations I did, including lengthy phone inquiries with high-level managers at large pension funds. I repeat: trust nothing (even on paper) and constantly verify the facts. It's possible that scams had gone on for decades before you even found out about it, with constant evasions used to reinforce a false sense of security/assurance.

"They're playing with people's money -- money that they do not have themselves. It's all speculative."This is no laughing matter; amid war in Europe (yes, Ukraine is part of Europe) and collapsing financial systems (yes, it's worse than the media admits) one must not assume that the pension is "still there" -- regardless of any likely-empty assurances given by those who gamble with this money ("investing" in companies with fictional valuation -- a Ponzi scheme of sorts). EPO workers must never forget what EPOTIF is about and, given the growing connection/s to the ECB and EU (e.g. the UPC and EUIPO), questions must be asked. Answers are needed too; non-answers are smoke if not fire. If thousands of EPO workers (past and present) take out hundreds of millions in UK pensions (perhaps over a billion) it can break entire companies. They're playing with people's money -- money that they do not have themselves. It's all speculative.

Recent Techrights' Posts

How the European Union (EU) Fell Out of Love With Free/Libre Software
Lots of bribery
Certificate Authority Let's Encrypt Has Almost Gone Down to Zero, Nearly Totally Extinct in Geminispace, the Few Capsules Still Using It Are Spam/Dead/Stagnant
This represents another decrease for Let's Encrypt; the last decrease was last week
Trying to Silence Techrights Was a Huge Mistake
Peter Thiel attacked a publisher for asserting, correctly, that he was gay. Now everyone knows it.
 
EPO Workers Point Out that the EPO is Destroying the Planet Under the Guise of "Hey Hi" (It Also Grants Many Patents Illegally)
On 12 March and 16 June 2025, staff representation met with the administration in the Local Occupational Health, Safety and Ergonomics Committee (LOHSEC) in Munich
Turn Off Microsoft's Restricted Boot ("Secure Boot")
We're still running a series on this issue
Social Control Media Sites Have Become Bot Farms (Not Limited to LLMs and Automation)
linkedin.com was nothing but trouble and losses for Microsoft
Deep in Debt With the Magnitude of Losses Quickly Growing, Microsoft "Open" "Hey Hi" Now Uses Broadcom for Vapourware, Pretending It'll Do OK Next Year
At some stage it'll collapse
You Can Tell Microsoft is in Trouble When Its Own Fans and Staff Blast it
"Microsoft sinks billions into chasing artificial intelligence fads to hype up its share price."
Multiple Undersea Cable Cuts and We're Still OK
Microsoft customers experience problems
Lawyers Who Think They Are Online Assassins Don't Deserve a Licence to Operate
they've become a laughing stock in their "sector"
Microsoft Windows Fell to 3.9% "Market Share" in Bahamas
Based on statCounter
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Sunday, September 07, 2025
IRC logs for Sunday, September 07, 2025
Gemini Links 07/09/2025: Scanner, Slop, and Chadobear
Links for the day
The UEFI 9/11 is 3 Days Away
Nobody denies that bad things will happen
Google Versus Journalism
Google played a big role in the demise of news sites
Gemini Links 07/09/2025: Advertising, Decentralized Archival, and Outsourcing to Bezos
Links for the day
Not Much Left in News Cycles
To be very clear, this does not describe "Linux" anything; it's true in just about every facet of news, except the paid-for fake "journalism" about "hey hi" (sites getting paid explicitly to maintain or rekindle hype)
Throwing Away "Old" Computers (Mozilla and Other Climate Deniers)
Mozilla is not leftist
The UEFI 9/11 - Part VIII - Denial of Service and Selling Us WSL (Windows) Instead of "Risky" (Prone by Breakage by Microsoft) GNU/Linux
Restricted Boot (so-called 'SecureBoot') does not improve security. It is nothing but trouble. It's meant to trouble non-Windows users. In dual-boot setups, SecureBoot is a recipe for disaster because Microsoft keeps erasing or tampering with the boot sector, to paraphrase an associate
Slop is Extremely Rare in Geminispace, Slop Images Are Unheard Of (Despite Images Being Supported)
As long as Geminispace grows in terms of domains it's safe to predict the protocol will still be used in 2029 and hence Geminispace will turn 10
Links 07/09/2025: Robodebt Class Action, Fines, and Copyright Settlement
Links for the day
Links 07/09/2025: Yle Impersonated in Social Control Media, Boat-Attacking Orcas, Midjourney Sued Again
Links for the day
Slopwatch: LinuxSecurity, Linux Journal, and the Serial Slopper
Google won't tackle the issue because Google participates not only in relaying slop but also in generating lots of it
Links 07/09/2025: Google Fines in EU and "Your Internet Access Is at Risk"
Links for the day
Gemini Links 07/09/2025: Little Brother and Corporate Theatre
Links for the day
Links 07/09/2025: More Harms of Slop and Anthropic's Nightmare Scenario (Huge Legal Liabilities for Slop)
Links for the day
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Saturday, September 06, 2025
IRC logs for Saturday, September 06, 2025
Microsoft Sites Now Talking About September's Mass Layoffs at Microsoft
It's noteworthy that even Microsoft's MSN now covers the latest revelations about mass layoffs
Gemini Links 06/09/2025: SpellBinding Moving and "The Cloud" Ridiculed
Links for the day
Slopwatch: On "the Apology Industry", Chatbots (Punchbag for Customers), and Fake Articles About "Linux"
"news reporting priorities changed"
Links 06/09/2025: "Covid Incidence on the Rise" and Many Attacks on the Press Worldwide
Links for the day
The Register Bill
The Register MS - putting the "MS" in your centre of the universe
Analogies for "Memory Safety" in Rust
Don't worry, it's Rust! It can do anything!
Nobody Denies That SecureBoot Will Cause Problems After September 11
Not even Microsoft
Gemini Links 06/09/2025: Infinite Scrolling and Posting from Emacs
Links for the day
Links 06/09/2025: GitHub Meltdown Over Slop, "U.S. Jury Says Google Should Pay $425 Million in Privacy Lawsuit"
Links for the day
Despite Its Severe Financial Problems Gnome Foundation Inc Paid Rosanna Yuen Over 100,000 Dollars Last Year
maybe relocation should be considered
The "Left" and the Right"
It poisons everything
Mozilla and Rust Are Not Leftists
they're part of the mass consumerism machine
Disposable to Microsoft
There is an extensive set of people who got used by Microsoft, only to be thrown away a month later or a year later or a decade later
The UEFI 9/11 - Part VII - This Coming Week Many PCs Will Refuse to Boot "Linux" (Because of Microsoft's Expired Certificate)
The real solution is, disable "secure boot" or "SecureBoot" while it's still possible. [...] Just like submarine patents, a lot of this problem was "hibernating" for a while
The Thing Nobody in Red Hat Wants to Talk About Openly
There is a real sentiment or worry among Red Hatters, Europeans and Americans in particulars (because of higher salary expectations)
Slopwatch: Small Parade of Fake News About "Linux" and Scams Borrowing the Name (or Word) "Linux"
In practice, LLMs are a risk
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Friday, September 05, 2025
IRC logs for Friday, September 05, 2025