Bonum Certa Men Certa

EPO, Europe's Second-Largest Institution, Playing With the Health of Staff, Based on Internal Letter

posted by Roy Schestowitz on Jan 05, 2024

EPO aircon

THE FOLLOWING publication from the Local Staff Committee Munich (LSCMN) of the EPO is not new. It is a few months old, but it is very applicable now that it is the height of winter and the Office is trying to 'save money' on heating (does that save money if workers fall ill or are feeling too cold to work well?).

"In this open letter," LSCMN say, "we ask Ms Simon (VP4) for proper cooling and heating standards."

European Patent Office | LSC Munich | GERMANY

Ms Nellie Simon

Vice-President DG 4 & Site Manager

via email vp4office@epo.org

Local Staff Committee Munich

Comité local du personnel de Munich

Örtlicher Personalausschuss München Email: mnstcom@epo.org

Date: 30.08.2023

sc23019ml

OPEN LETTER

Less “cool” to be in the Office premises than in the past

Dear Ms Simon,

The month of August has been difficult for some staff coming to the EPO premises. The room temperatures, especially in PH 1-4 often reached levels up to 29 °C. The situation was such that colleagues filed tickets to Facility Management to have their air-conditioning system checked.

According to the Communiqué of 11 July 2022, “Less cool than before”, the EPO imposes on its staff temperatures higher in summer (max 27 °C) and lower in winter (min 18 °C) than the standards in Germany. Yet even this value of 27 °C was exceeded in practice in many offices this summer. On the other hand, last winter numerous colleagues reported to us that their offices were too cold for working (some colleagues even had to resort to electrical heaters and wear mittens for typing on the keyboard).

The current policy and practice make it unattractive to come to the EPO premises and have an impact on both the motivation and the efficiency of staff at work.

While we of course support efforts for energy saving, we would like to ask for proper cooling and heating standards.

Sincerely yours

Ingrid Peller

Chair of the Local Staff Committee Munich City, Haar und Brussels

Of course it is cheaper not to properly heat up a workplace, but at what cost? Previously the EPO resorted to greenwashing in various contexts, including workers doing the job from home. But it's a lot more efficient to heat up a shared workplaces of hundreds of workers than to heat up hundreds of different homes.

What is the EPO trying to accomplish here?

LSCMN make a good and valid point. They say the "current policy and practice make it unattractive to come to the EPO premises"; so what comes next? They might say not many people come in, therefore the office is no longer necessary or some offices - perhaps sections thereof - can be sold/rented out. It's a self-fulfilling prophecy - like the ones being used to crush the NHS in the UK (the modus operandi for privatisation of public assets or the Commons).

Worse yet, as we shall show later this month, buzzwords like "Hey Hi" (AI) are being used to increasingly put forth justification for removal of (some) examiners. Europe would suffer if patent-granting processes were to be automated.

This is what happens when clueless, incompetent and corrupt officials take over an institution.

Other Recent Techrights' Posts

Linux Journal Might Have Become the Latest Slopfarm Targeting "Linux", the Trends Are Concerning for Dying News Sites
They tarnish the Web with junk and then die
On "Learning to Code"
quality may suffer, plus things get bloated
Quick Points Regarding This Week's Court Hearing
it paves the way for us to squash all the SLAPPs from Microsofters
Common Mistake: Believing Social Control Media Will Document Your Writings/Thoughts and Search Engines Like Google Will Help You Find These
Many news sites wrongly assumed that posting directly to Twitter would be acceptable
The Manchester Bees and This Hot Summer
We have had a fantastic week so far this week
Gemini Protocol Enters Its Seventh Year, Growth Has Accelerated!
Maybe in June 20 2026 there will be over 3,500 active capsules?
Mastodon and the Fediverse Have an Issue: Liability for Content (Even in Other Instances) and Costs
self-hosting is the only logical path forward
Why Microsoft and Its 'Hey Hi' (Slop) Frenzy Fail While Sinking in Deep, Growing Debt
Right now, like Twitter around the time it was sold to MElon, "open" "hey hi" is a big pile of debt with a lot to pay for that debt (interest payments)
Europe is Leaving Microsoft, the Press Coverage Isn't Sufficiently Helpful
The news is generally positive, but the press coverage leaves so much to be desired
Slopwatch: Linuxsecurity, BetaNews, and Linux Journal
slippery slope
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Thursday, June 19, 2025
IRC logs for Thursday, June 19, 2025
Gemini Links 20/06/2025: Gemini Protocol Turns 6!
Links for the day
Links 19/06/2025: Ghostwriting Scam and Fentanylware (TikTok) Buying Time
Links for the day
Microsoft's Windows is a Niche Operating System in Africa
African nations aren't a large contributor to Microsoft's income, but if many African nations move away from Windows, then the monopoly is at risk
Gemini Links 19/06/2025: Unix Primitivism, Zine Club, and Gemini Protocol Turns 6 at Midnight
Links for the day
Links 19/06/2025: WhatsApp Identified as Assassination 'Crosshairs', Patreon Now Rips Off People Even More
Links for the day
"Told You So": Another Very Large Wave of Microsoft Layoffs Now Confirmed in Mainstream Media
So we were right to believe the rumours, based on the credibility of prior such rumours
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Wednesday, June 18, 2025
IRC logs for Wednesday, June 18, 2025
Gemini Links 18/06/2025: Magit and Farming
Links for the day
Slopwatch: BetaNews is Now a Slopfarm (Like Linuxsecurity) and Google News is Overwhelmed by Slopfarms
The Web is bad
Links 18/06/2025: SCOTUS Decision on Fentanylware (TikTok) Still Ignored, 4.5-Day Work Weeks
Links for the day
Links 17/06/2025: Windows TCO and G7 Rifts
Links for the day
The Right to Know and the Freedom to Report on Crime (at the Higher Echelons)
I'd like to do the same thing for the next 20 years
BetaNews Appears to Have Fired All Of Its Staff
Even serial sloppers
After the Web Becomes Slopped to Death
A lot of people are rightly fed up with the "modern" Web
Gemini Protocol Turns 6 on Friday
Active (online) Gemini capsules are estimated by Lupa at over 3,000
Like Most Social Control Media, Microsoft LinkedIn is Collapsing
One reason for Microsoft acquisitions is debt-loading, i.e. offloading and burying its debt
Microsoft is Losing Its Richest Clients
Unlike some very poor countries, Germany and the EU are a considerable source of income to Microsoft
Proprietary Means Not Secure
Proprietary software tends to rely on secrecy, not good design
Slop in 'AI' Clothing is a Passing Fad, We'll Get Past It (Like Blockchain Before That)
Many people cheat in exams using slop and there are professionals that try using slop as a "shortcut"
GNOME Does Not Campaign Against Microsoft, KDE Does
It's good to see that KDE is still active in promotion of Free software - a term that it uses
Slopwatch: BetaNews, Linuxsecurity, and Other Prolific Slopfarms
name and shame the sites that establish such proliferation of slop
Gemini Links 18/06/2025: Birch Lake and Loon Pond
Links for the day
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Tuesday, June 17, 2025
IRC logs for Tuesday, June 17, 2025