Bonum Certa Men Certa

EPO Staff Mocks the Management's 'Diversity and Inclusion' Platitudes Amid Serious Discrimination "That Must End Now"

posted by Roy Schestowitz on Jan 08, 2024,
updated Jan 08, 2024

Stop discrimination

LESS than 3 months ago the Central Staff Committee (CSC) of the EPO told staff:

Dear colleagues,

We met the administration twice in 2021 and 2022 to discuss the issues of Job Groups (JG) 5&6. Unfortunately, we have not been able to resume the exchange further as the administration kept postponing and cancelling all planned meetings.

The latest unequal treatment of Formalities Officers Team Managers (FO TMs) is for us a new reason to request that meetings within the work-frame of the Working Group JG5&6 are resumed.

Please read here about the lack of recognition of FO TMs.

This matter goes several years back [1, 2] and isn't being resolved. Today we put in the public domain the latest letter on this matter:

Zentraler Personalausschuss
Central Staff Committee
Le Comité Central du Personnel

Munich, 29/09/2023
SC23121cp

Job Group 6:
Discrimination that must end now

We met the administration twice in 2021 and 2022 but haven’t been able to resume the exchange further as the administration kept postponing and canceling all planned meetings.

The latest unequal treatment of FO TMs is for us a new reason to request that meetings within the work-frame of WG JG 5&6 are resumed.

JG 6 Formalities Officer Team Managers (FO TMs): a solid example of discrimination

Without any obvious reason, FO TMs have been divided into two categories: the ones nominated before and the others after the 2018 reorganization.

The first category (pre-2018) of FO TMs is in job group 5 having an ad persona team manager’s status within Job Group 5 (JG 5). The second category (post-2018) remain in JG 6 on a 3- years renewable term, no proper TM job profile but with a functional allowance.

This bizarre situation was already pointed out by the CSC (Central Staff Committee) in an open letter to VP1 after the staff representation had held several meetings with FO TMs.

Functional allowance: pushing the divisive exercise to the next level

The unfair treatment that FO TMs already suffer from recently reached a new high. In the DG 1 management meeting of 5 July 2023, they learned that, unlike the examiner’s TMs, they would not benefit from the doubling of their functional allowance.

FO TMs and examiner TMs have comparable numbers of staff members in their teams and the same portfolio of management activities. The reasons for such a one-sided decision are unknown. Additionally, 70% of FO TMs being women, we identify here a further aspect of the gender pay gap which the CSC has repeatedly denounced. The decision not to double the functional allowance is a further marker that corroborates the lack of recognition and respect against women.

Lack of recognition

FO TMs in JG 6 carry out to a large extent the same tasks as any other TM, only, without a proper job description. Now, adding insult to injury, they aren’t eligible for the double functional allowance that examiner’s TMs will receive.

Since the integration of Patent Administration into DG1 back in 2018, all the presently 28 FO TMs of JG 6 repeatedly requested to be given a proper TM job profile.

The letter renewing their term confirms the following: “it has been decided to extend (the) temporary appointment as FO Team Manager”; however, on page 21 of the social report 2022 the table , “Job groups and corresponding career path and grades” mentions that the managerial career path does not apply to JG 6 staff, this way officializing the lack of respect, and recognition, and the discrimination.

Job group Technical career path Managerial career path Grades / steps
JG 1 n.a. Vice-President G16 step 3 – G17 step 3
JG 2 Principal Advisor / Board of Appeal Chair Principal Director G15 step 1 – G16 step 4
JG 3 Senior Expert / Board of Appeal Member Director G13 step 3 – G15 step 4
JG 4 Examiner / Administrator / Lawyer Head of Department / Team Manager G7 step 1 – G13 step 5
JG 5 Expert Head of Section G7 step 1 – G10 step 5
JG 6 Administrative employee n.a. G1 step 1 – G9 step 5

On that same page, a disgraceful addendum reinforces once again the sentiment of denial by naming them “some job group 6 employees who exercise certain managerial functions”.

Ironically, this situation goes against the management’s own communication on careers: “Harmonized job profiles serve as a reference for recruitment, career advancement, performance management and professional development”. The lack of respect and recognition can have far-reaching negative consequences on staff: in this very case, it impacts negatively the FOs career prospects and can cascade down to the teams.

It deteriorates the TM’s engagement and affects their health and well-being.

Lack of recognition at the workplace is widely documented, Work-related stress – low recognition and reward | WorkSafe Victoria is one of the numerous articles on the topic, it underlines the importance to “consider rewards as an expression of appreciation and a way of recognizing individual or group contribution to a job responsibility, task or an organizational goal.”

We urge the senior management to correct this obvious disbalance and unequal treatment of TMs of the lowest Job Group. With regards to the good intentions in their announcements on the Intranet about a modern D&I policy, they should finally start to walk the talk.

President’s explanation for this choice to reward only examiner’s TMs

On 22nd August 2023, the CSC asked the administration why it was decided that only examiner’s TMs would see their functional allowance doubled.

This is what the President replied in a letter addressed to the chairman of the CSC dated 19.09.2023:

“Please note that the amount of a functional allowance depends on the nature and complexity of the tasks of each specific group. As already explained to the Team Managers in Patent Examination, following a review of their function and objectives and in recognition of the growing challenges in their role it was decided to increase their functional allowance to EUR 700. For the above reasons this decision concerns solely Team Managers in Patent Examination.”

This leaves one to think that the JG6 FO TMs are clearly treated like a subcategory of Team Managers. According to management, they do not qualify for a proper career in JG5 and are not considered to have complex enough tasks to be eligible for an extra functional allowance.

The staff committee doesn’t subscribe to this point of view.

It is unclear to us how management can still expect this group of colleagues to maintain a level of motivation and job satisfaction and not fall into disarray.

The necessity to resume discussions within Working Group Job Groups 5&6

At the beginning of the previous mandate, the CSC established a new working group for Job Groups 5&6. Its purpose was to provide better support for colleagues in these job groups and consistently gather relevant feedback to present and discuss with the administration.

With both affected colleagues and staff representation repeatedly bringing attention to the unequal treatment of Job Group 6 TMs, we believe this intolerable situation has persisted for too long. The principle of Diversity and Inclusion is being blatantly disregarded, and the harmonization and proper recognition of the role of FO TM are long overdue.

The unfairness of this situation, along with the numerous other unresolved topics such as understaffing, recruitment, and the future of FOs, necessitate the urgent continuation of discussions within Working Group Job Groups 5&6.

We want to reiterate our unwavering determination in supporting and defending our colleagues in Job Groups 5 and 6. Please continue to share your input with your staff representation.

The Central Staff Committee

Many people in other workplaces may be able to relate. The Central Staff Committee describes a lot of workplace politics, but remember that the EPO isn't some private company that can abuse workers without political oversight. Well, it can, but wasn't supposed to. The EPO is corrupt.

Other Recent Techrights' Posts

Abuse Inside the Polish Patent Office (UPRP) - Part IX: Minimum Wages For You (Experienced Scientist), Alicante/EU Paydays For Me (Unproductive, Corrupt Official)
Does UPRP maladministration extend to the false belief that qualified and experienced scientists can play the role of circus clowns?
"The Liberating Power of Simply Telling People the Truth."
'polite' bullying
Who Imitates Who? Plagiarist as Client (From Microsoft), 'Plagiarism' at the Law Firm?
let's revisit the subject
EPO's Central Staff Committee (CSC) Scrutinises the Man Who Illegally Grants (and Forces Others to Illegally Participate in Granting) Software Patents in Europe
EPO compels examiners to break the law in the name of obeying illegal "rules" or "orders"
The Latest Rumour Says The Next (as Correctly Predicted Before) Wave of Layoffs at Microsoft is 3 Weeks Away, "Larger Than the First Wave"
Step 2
TV Licensing Used to SPAM Your Postbox, Now It Does the Same to E-mail
First they ask for your E-mail address; then they start nagging you via E-mail
Our Priority is Still Tackling Software Patents and Corruption in Patent Offices
Meanwhile we got compliments on our recent articles, which means that they are effective
Slopwatch: Another Day, Another Slopfest, LLM Slop Scrapers Slow Down Our Site
We too have some slop issues; this past day this site and the sister site had to answer about 2.5 million requests (not counting Gemini Protocol) and it's slowing things down for everybody
 
Links 12/06/2025: Portland Homeless Deaths Quadruple, COVID Cases Surge in Asia
Links for the day
EPO's Gareth Lord Asked About "Quality and Productivity" or, Put Another Way, Why the EPO Keeps Granting So Many Invalid/Illegal Patents
letter to Lord
The Toxic Playbook
Either you support Prince Mohammed bin Salman or you're a nazi
It's Possible That BetaNews Got Cracked, But Nobody Talks About It, The Site Contains an Outdated Old Image, No Activity
It's possible that they will never explain what happened to the site and users' accounts
Links 12/06/2025: Beach Boys’ Brian Wilson Dies
Links for the day
Gemini Links 12/06/2025: Video Game Diegesis and Steam Next Fest
Links for the day
Why the Militants Have Lost Every Battle Since 2022 (When Attacking My Wife and I in Various Ways, Even Attacking Our Employers)
This takes patience, sure, but at the end most evildoers face the consequences for their actions
Politics Will Impact Software Choices
Will those systems respect users' freedom?
EPO: Neglecting Children to Promote American Monopolies by Shielding Them From European Competition
Yesterday the Central Staff Committee at the EPO spoke about another "reform" at the Office
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Wednesday, June 11, 2025
IRC logs for Wednesday, June 11, 2025
Links 11/06/2025: More Vulnerabilities Found in 'Smart' Phones, China Extends Reach in the Pacific
Links for the day
Gemini Links 11/06/2025: Grain and Steam Next Fest
Links for the day
Links 11/06/2025: "Quantum" Hype From IBM, US Closer to Martial Law, and “The Nation” Celebrates Milestone
Links for the day
IBM's CEO Roasted, Sizzled and Grilled for Dumb and Inconsistent Vapourware Promises
It looks like being a chronic liar is what it takes to lead the company once synonymous with computing
IBM's Goal Is Not (and Never Was) Computer Users' Freedom
More than 1.5 decades ago I found IBM to be an "ally of convenience" because of OpenDocument Format (ODF)
Wayland Shows the IBM/Red Hat Way of Doing Things
IBM is trying to 'kill' X
GitHub is Proprietary, Controlled by Microsoft, and GPL Violation Warehouse
"IRS tax filing software [will be] released to the people as free software" ... In general this is good news
Slopfarm Catastrophe
Seems like BetaNews (or BetaNoise) has just suffered a major data loss and restored the site from a week-old backup
Abuse Inside the Polish Patent Office (UPRP) - Part VIII: Illegal Working Conditions
How many people need to die for these people to get their massive salaries?
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Tuesday, June 10, 2025
IRC logs for Tuesday, June 10, 2025
Links 10/06/2025: Apple Hype and Physical Attacks on Bloggers
Links for the day
Gemini Links 10/06/2025: Loon Lake, Farming, and Forth
Links for the day
Links 10/06/2025: Jaws at 50 and US Democracy Crushed Very Rapidly (Martial Law Seems Imminent)
Links for the day
Abuse Inside the Polish Patent Office (UPRP) - Part VII: Washing Their Hands After Corruption and Abuse
"Tragedy or comedy?"
Culling Bad RSS Feeds of Bad Sites
Not throwing out the baby with the bathwater
If 'Microsoft v Techrights' is Dealt With by a 'Microsoft Court' (or a Court Outsourced to Microsoft)
More on that later
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Monday, June 09, 2025
IRC logs for Monday, June 09, 2025
Gemini Protocol Turns Six in 10 Days From Now
If you haven't tried it yet, then give it a go today
Live as You Preach
technology is fast becoming dysphoric