EPO Dictatorship, Facing Growing Pressure From Senior Staff for Breaking Laws and Illegally Running the System, Turns to "Young Professionals" (to Crush Voices, Rights, and Benefits)
What a racket.
The "Young Professional" (YP) at the EPO is sort of 'newspeak' for something that we covered here many times before, going almost as far back as the Benoît Battistelli days (2018). António Campinos, like a typical under-qualified so-called 'leader' (buying the role; it's about bribery and/or nepotism), does not want more qualified people (than him) around, so he's aiming low, both with staff and with patents. He gleefully grants European software patents - i.e. patents which are both illegal and undesirable - by name-dropping buzzwords like "hey hi". Now he's just lying to obedient "media", pretending that none of this is happening (that started with IAM). This cannot possibly end well and trying to bribe those who threaten a boycott is creating a scandal on top of an existing scandal, perhaps assuming that because the EU is complicit nobody will get arrested for this. Sure, they've even started illegal and unconstitutional kangaroo courts for patents, but that's just another epic scandal, not a triumph. The EU is gradually becoming hardly less corrupt than Russia under Putin.
When talking about a "Young Professional" think of the term "scab"; quite a few years ago the staff representation clarified that it seemed rather obvious what this programme would strive to achieve. The following letter to staff serves to prove them correct about it being a race to the bottom:
Dear Colleagues,According to Article 15 of the Conditions of employment for Young Professionals (see CA/D 6/22), Article 83a ServRegs applies to YPs. Hence, they are insured against expenditure incurred in case of sickness, accident, pregnancy and confinement.
However, when the YP’s term of service comes to an end, it is questionable what the situation is regarding their health insurance. It follows from Article 83a(2)(a) ServRegs that the YP may, on request, continue to be insured with Cigna on condition that they cannot be covered by another public and/or private healthcare insurance. The total contribution shall be borne by the then former YP. Additionally, the maximum duration of the continued insurance with Cigna is further limited in Article 83a(2)(b) ServRegs. This option is therefore unattractive, if not impossible for many former YPs.
Information is needed on the conditions under which the former YP can be covered by a public and/or private healthcare insurance after termination of service in the Office. The question as to whether they can be covered depends, among other factors, on the kind of previous healthcare insurance before joining the Office and on the state in which the previous insurance applied (e.g. EU or non-EU state).
In this open letter, we recommend that the Office analyses the legal situation in detail and offers assistance to YPs in obtaining health insurance after termination of service.
Sincerely yours,
The Central Staff Committee - CSC
Here is the open letter in full:
European Patent Office
80298 Munich
GermanyCentral Staff Committee
Comité central du personnel
Zentraler PersonalausschusscentralSTCOM@epo.org
Reference: sc24058cl
Date: 19.09.2024
European Patent Office | 80298 MUNICH | GERMANY
Mr António Campinos
President of the EPO
by email
OPEN LETTER (to be distributed to the Young Professionals)
Health insurance for Young Professionals
Dear Mr Campinos,
In the current weeks, many university graduates from various Contracting States will be joining the Pan-European Seal Young Professionals Programme of the European Patent Office. In the last cycle 2023/2024, 79 Young Professionals (YPs) took part in this programme. After an initial period of 12 months, the appointment of some of them was extended by 24 months, many are leaving the Office.
The Central Staff Committee (CSC) would like to take the start of the 2024/2025 cycle of the Young Professionals Programme as an appropriate time to question the health insurance coverage for these colleagues. According to Article 15 of the Conditions of employment for Young Professionals (see CA/D 6/22), Article 83a ServRegs applies to YPs. Hence, they are insured against expenditure incurred in case of sickness, accident, pregnancy and confinement.
However, when the YP’s term of service comes to an end, it is questionable what the situation is regarding their health insurance. It follows from Article 83a(2)(a) ServRegs that the YP may, on request, continue to be insured with Cigna on condition that they cannot be covered by another public and/or private healthcare insurance. However the total contribution shall be borne by the then former YP. Additionally, the maximum duration of the continued insurance with Cigna is further limited in Article 83a(2)(b) ServRegs. This option is therefore unattractive, if not impossible for many former YPs.
Information is needed on the conditions under which the former YP can be covered by a public and/or private healthcare insurance after termination of service in the Office. The question as to whether they can be covered depends, among other factors, on the kind of previous healthcare insurance before joining the Office and on the state in which the previous insurance applied (e.g. EU or non-EU state). The legal situation is therefore quite complex.
The CSC appreciates very much that some YPs received helpful information from committed colleagues in the administration concerning health insurance in Germany upon request. The CSC would nevertheless like to recommend that the legal situation is analysed in more detail and that, at least with regard to all sites where YPs are employed.
Typically, YPs come from a different Contracting State than the place of employment. They are therefore often unfamiliar with the legal situation in the host state. The Office should actively provide such legal information to the YPs, e.g. shortly after they have joined the Office and three months before their term of employment comes to an end. With regard to the important issue of health insurance, the Office should furthermore offer legal assistance in obtaining health insurance after termination of service if necessary.
Yours sincerely,
Derek Kelly
Chairman of the Central Staff Committee
A nonchalant observer might try to brush it off as something that happens "in industry" all the time, but the EPO is not some private corporation and it's subjected to actual rules. It's also entrusted with a monopoly.
The way things are going, not only has the EPO lost its reputation (maybe a decade ago); it nowadays operates illegally and the only thing that keeps it going (inertia, momentum) is a sea of patent monopolies that it sells to everyone... we know at whose expense. Europe's competitiveness will perish and its reputation for law and order will too. The European patent system has become a bloody jungle and the "courts" are themselves a violation of the law. They have no actual legitimacy, they're run for and by industry (as in, large corporations, not even European).
If you clearly and unambiguously (with evidence) point out the crimes of the above people, they will only send you legal threats. Yes, sort of like in Russia. █