A Closer Look Inside the EPO, Courtesy of Benoît Battistelli's Submissive Lapdogs Roberta Romano-Götsch and Elodie Bergot

posted by Roy Schestowitz on Mar 10, 2025

THE EPO has not improved (the press just got 'tired' of writing about the corruption there; it moreover ignores/overlooks protests and strikes, which means democracy ceased to function), but many patent examiners got sort of accustomed to the "new normal" which is EPO sucking so badly and there's basically "nowhere else to go" (the work contract forbids some future jobs). Need to bend the rules and break some laws? Fine then! Do it! Gotta pay the mortgage. Get on with the programme!

The following new report comes from the Local Staff Committee Munich (LSCMN), which met with the EPO nepotism supreme Elodie Bergot and Benoît Battistelli's booster Roberta Romano-Götsch (it pays off and it's highly recommended to suck up to autocrats when you're in a vicious autocracy!).

LSCMN reps wrote to staff:

Our report: Sick leave statistics, workplace ratio, canteens and Isar ravens

Dear colleagues,

On 7 November 2024, staff representation met with the administration in the Local Occupational Health, Safety and Ergonomics Committee (LOHSEC) in Munich.

Short-term sick leave decreased between June 2023 and 2024, returning towards pre-pandemic levels. Over the period, an average of 4.5 days per staff member were lost due to short-term sickness - a reduction by 4.9 percentage points compared to the previous 12 months. However, long-term sick leave (60+ days of absence) increased by 17.2 percentage points. As a result of these opposing trends, the average duration of sick leave remains at 12.5 days per staff member.

The Office intends to maintain a work place ratio of 0.8 (i.e. a total of 80 work places, both allocated and offices for a day, per 100 staff) after 2028 [sic] when staff will move to PH 5-7. We wonder how under these circumstances, the Office can implement the promised amount of allocated workplaces in return for a 3x/week presence after the move.

The future of the canteens and the invasion of ravens at the Isar building was also addressed.

Here's the full report, converted from the widely-circulated PDF to HTML, GemText, and plain text: (depending on how one reads this page)

Örtlicher Personalausschuss München Innenstadt, Haar und Brüssel
Local Staff Committee Munich City, Haar and Brussels
Le Comité local du Personnel de Munich Ville, Haar et Bruxelles

Munich, 25-02-2025
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Report on the 55th Meeting of the Local Occupational Health,
Safety and Ergonomics Committee (LOHSEC)
on 7 November 2024

On 7 November 2024 the meeting took place with Staff Representatives of the LSC Munich (LSC MN), members of the Administration, health, safety and facility services, as well as a representative for the Boards of Appeal.

Present were Elodie Bergot (Chair; PD Welfare and Renumeration, EB), Roberta Romano-Götsch (Chief Sustainability Officer, RRG), Martina Moritz (Medical Advisor, MM), Jürgen Janda (Member of the Infrastructure Services, JJ), Stephanie Prest-Hutchinson (Member of HR, SPH), Johannes de Bruin (Occupational Safety expert, JdB), Alexander Kirch (Occupational Safety, AK), Katja Warneck (Representative for BoA, KW), Susett Rolle (SR; Member of LSC MN, SRo), Matthias Goebel (SR; Member of LSC MN, MG), Alyssa Drouault (Member of HR, AD).

The meeting lasted from 9:30 to 10:20 h.

1 Report from the COHSEC

The Chair gave a short oral report on the COHSEC meeting of 27 September 2024 and presented the four agenda points discussed during in that meeting:

▪ Sick leave statistics

The Office is said to closely monitor sick leave figures to identify trends early on and to adjust its health and well-being services accordingly. Short-term sick leave decreased between June 2023 and 2024, returning towards pre-pandemic levels. Over the period, an average of 4.5 days per staff member were lost due to short-term sickness - a reduction by 4.9 percentage points compared to the previous 12 months. However, long-term sick leave (60+ days of absence) increased by 17.2 percentage points. As a result of these opposing trends, the average duration of sick leave remains at 12.5 days per staff member.

The figures are presented as rolling period. The increase likely caused by earlier respiratory diseases in autumn and winter will be followed up very actively.

▪ Occupational health and safety objectives

As last year, a proposal outlining Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) objectives for 2025, and their associated key performance indicators were presented to the COHSEC, for discussion. The OHS objectives aim to promote well-being in a hybrid working environment, improve emergency response, enhance managers' awareness of OHS support, and maintain the quality of the work environment, with a focus on IT satisfaction, ergonomics and safety. Following this first discussion, a consolidated version will be presented for opinion at the next COHSEC meeting.

▪ Health and well-being initiatives The Office remains dedicated to supporting the health and well-being of our staff, as highlighted in the overview of the 2024 Prevention Activities, presented to COHSEC

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members. This year, the vision test campaigns once again proved very popular, while the upcoming vaccination campaign, which now includes additional boosters for Diphtheria, Tetanus, Pertussis, and Polio, is generating even greater interest. Raising awareness of these and other initiatives among COHSEC members and staff remains crucial, as it strengthens prevention efforts and empowers colleagues to prioritise their health and well- being. COHSEC members expressed their appreciation for the comprehensive overview and recognised the extensive support provided to staff by the Office.

▪ Points raised by the staff representatives in the COHSEC

Staff representatives raised several topics that were incorporated in the COHSEC agenda. These included the potential co-administration of the COVID-19 and influenza vaccines, as well as the upcoming retirement of the occupational health physician in The Hague. Additionally, the staff representation drew the attention on the menopause and the challenges it might have from an occupational perspective. During a productive exchange on these topics, the Office provided updates on respective ongoing initiatives.

The next COHSEC meeting is scheduled to take place on 20 February, the further dates for 2025 are 4 June, 1 October and 20 November.

2 Points raised by the Staff Representation members of the LOHSEC

2.1 As to the status of action points M 05/2023, AP 02/2024:

The Staff Representation (SR) maintained its enquiry into the status of the action point M 05/2023 (presentation of occupancy numbers), now supplemented by the related AP 02/2024 (i.e. check on the publication of occupancy rates with CA/16/24, add explanations on the figures, how they have been calculated). It further noted that the outdated intranet reference implied in said AP 02/2024 is still live (see Bringing Teams Together)

The administration replied that the trend remained stable with a 50 to 60% maximal occupancy rate during weekdays (Tuesday, Wednesday. Thursday) and with peak days on Wednesdays and Thursdays, whereas the (overall?) average occupancy was 35%. In their view, the graphic was therefore still valid.

The Chair clarified the definition of the “workplace occupancy”: staff in the building for more than 4 hours divided by all workplaces in that building, and further noted that determination of occupancy occurred by badge use, not planning tool.

N.B.: As previously noted, the document CA/16/24 contains one sole reference to an average staff on-site occupancy of 49 % (cf. slide 6 of the NWoW evaluation report). A time period is not given.

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The pilot phase has ended 30 June 2024. The importance of transparent occupancy figures has been thoroughly explained in the last LOHSEC Report (see items 2.1 and 2.4). We are hence puzzled why both 35% and 49% qualify as “average” occupancy.

2.2 As to sufficient allocated workplaces in PH 5+6 and canteen services PH

The SR inquired in connection with building occupancy, how the administration envisioned providing the same level of allocated workplaces as at present, noting that 490 of them were to disappear upon moving from PH 1-4 to PH 5+6 (BT 8 staying at the same occupancy level), see Fig 1 of CA/53/24. The SR further asked if besides BoA other departments or teams would move to BT 7 to free up space in BT’s 5+6 or 8.

SR further reiterated its concern about the unclear future of any canteen service at PH after the emptying of PH 1-4.

The administration replied by assuring that the work place ratio of 0.8 (i.e. a total of 80 work places, both allocated and offices for a day, per 100 staff) will not change in 2028 [sic] when staff will move to PH 5-7. Furthermore, the 80% staff replacement ratio is applied, the final expected figures being taken from the SP headcount evolution (FIN study 2023) and the project PH5+6.

The administration further pointed out that no PGP staff was foreseen to move to BT 7, although some occupation by non-BoA staff was possible. Concrete plans were still lacking. In any case, they said canteen services would be offered.

N.B.: In the meantime we have heard from a meeting of VP1 with TMs and directors in late December 2024, that in a steady state there would be two canteens, both in BT 8 and BT 7, albeit possibly the start of the two would not be simultaneous. At the same time, the removals to PH 5+6 would start in Q1/2027 (as presented in CA 53/24).

We also heard of a rumour to rent out half of BT 7, on account of a shrinking BoA. Should this indeed be true, we would like to remind of the historic fact that the attempt to rent out half of BT 8 in 2018 resulted in many removals for many people but was a complete failure in the end. Needless to say, the shrinking BoA is not a rumour, but sadly a fact.

We would finally like to note that we had previously wondered how the administration would attempt to implement the promised allocated workplace in return for a 3x/week presence under these circumstances after the move to PH 5+6(+8). Judging by the sole presented criterion of a total of 80 WP (allocated and office for a day) / 100 staff, it appears that the promise might be on shaky footage.

2.3 As to a fire-hazard situation concerning electric vehicles

The SR asked for a review of the fire hazard situation regarding electric vehicles (EV). In particular, by which means would EV be extinguished in case of fire and what is the evolution of EV ownership in the MN premises of the EPO. This should be inferable by registration data of garage users, registration with facility management being mandatory. We furthermore inquired as to any incidents so far and whether there were restrictions as to where EVs may park in the garage.

We quoted as reference from the 50th LOHSEC Minutes (2023):

“The fire service had also adapted their fire-fighting expertise to this new situation and had coolants which could reduce battery heat from a burning battery quickly. It was underlined that should a fire start, the electricity supply would automatically shut off from that charger. In short fire safety at the EPO is compliant and fully in line with national legislation, taking into account current risks.”

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The administration summarized that what was in place was fully compliant with the regulations, including sprinkler systems. People were encouraged to register their car with facility management; however only the car with the plate was registered, not the type of car. Hence the evolution in number of EVs could not be recorded. There was no accident reported in the garage coming from EV chargers, nor incident fire in TH and Munich.

They noted that fire extinguishing would be handled by the official Munich fire brigades. According to the administration, the EPO took appropriate cautious measures (such as disconnection of EV chargers etc.) that were fully compliant with the law and the local regulations. Moreover, the Munich fire brigades used new and efficient technologies. In case of fire, they needed three to five minutes to reach the EPO and to go to the garage, coming from three alternative fire wards in the vicinity (Sendlinger Tor, across Hackerbrücke, Westend).

N.B.: It is interesting to note, that the plate of the vehicle is recorded but not the “E” for EV at the end of the license plate characters. SR would like to point out, however, that the above-mentioned “coolant” is water plus additives (see also ADAC website), hence apparently appropriate and compliant.

2.4 As to the new cleaning concept

The SR asked for explanation of the “new cleaning concept”, on which the new award to the cleaning contractor Wackler is based. It quoted from CA/F 28/24 (cf. §3 therein):

“With the contract, the EPO intends to implement a new cleaning concept based on three key areas: shift towards day cleaning, adaptive cleaning schedules and robotics innovation. This will also reflect expected service standards which are largely based on the New Ways of Working (NWoW) experience, historical standards as well as the foreseen building use during the planned renovation works of the SP2028. The new concept is based on the continuous improvement process model and therefore ensures a regular review of the actual needs and foresees the use of innovative solutions and new technologies.”

In particular, they inquired as to what was meant by:

• adaptive cleaning schedules (adapt to what?);

• robotics innovation;

• service standards which are largely based on the New Ways of Working (NWoW) experience;

• service standards which are largely based on […] the foreseen building use during the planned renovation works of the SP2028;

• continuous improvement process model [that] foresees the use of innovative solutions and new technologies?

SR further noted that they had heard from colleagues in The Hague (TH) that experiences were not all positive, since colleagues felt deranged by the robots.

As to the situation in MN, it could easily be conceived that a shift towards day cleaning using robots would lead to disruption of work.

The administration replied that:

▪ The cleaning schedules were adapted to the NWoW and to the presence of staff. If an office was used one day, it would be cleaned one day, if it was used two days, it would be cleaned two days, etc. If some offices were not used during a certain time, the cleaning would be reduced to the minimum to stay in good shape. This applied especially to offices for a day.

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▪ Regarding innovation, the hoover cleaner robots were put in place for big areas. With the development of this technology, they would be more and more present, including plans to have them communicate with office room doors to be able to enter as well. It was also to be noted that cleaning companies had problems to hire enough people and the robots were an alternative.

▪ The cleaning staff used iPads to enter the daily cleaning times of offices. The SP2028 works were followed in that those building parts not in use were not cleaned, leading to flexibility in the service standards. The “continuous improvement” using “innovative solutions” was analogous to ISO 9001: plan – do – check – act.

There were no more complaints in TH (staff were more surprised to see robots instead of humans) and explanatory intranet news had been published.

In Munich no complaints had been reported during and after the test phase. The noise created by ride-on sweepers operated by a human was higher than the robots at issue (size about 1m high x 60cm x 60cm), as shown and announced here:

2.5 As to possible health problems with ravens on the ISAR premises

The SR noted that it had received reports of periodic “invasions” of (raven) crows at the ISAR building, including taking food from the waste bins outside of the ISAR building and inquired whether the administration was aware of this. If yes, what would the action plan be, in particular as to liaising with the city of Munich and/or instructions to staff (e.g. do not feed them, or any other birds dropping in)?

The administration answered that no invasion of ravens was perceived nor notified from any other source. Moreover these birds were protected by the Bundesnaturschutzgesetz and EU bird protection guidelines. Needless to say it was forbidden to capture or kill ravens because of this protection status. It noted that the bins were in a public area and accessible to everyone.

It was proposed to regularly empty the bins to mitigate attraction of the (raven) crows. No need for further action was seen.

N.B.: The SR never suggested to capture or kill any of the birds at issue.

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2.6 As to availability of NWoW equipment

The SR noted that it had received reports of non-availability of home office appliances needed for teleworking within the NWoW, in particular tables and inquired whether possibly a shift in strategy away from providing needed hardware was involved.

The administration replied that in Munich currently seven Young Professionals and three other staff members were waiting for a delivery at short notice. Merely a momentary shortage of supply in desks was concerned, which was now resolved.

2.7 As to perceived insufficient lighting at security desks

It had come to the attention of the SR that lighting at some security check-points was perceived as insufficient. It requested elucidation of what the DE occupational health regulations stipulated as minimum illumination (apparently 500 lx) and possible measures to achieve this for the core work areas, e.g. by using small focussed sources. A retrofit of the work places at issue was deemed facile, in particular at the entrances to BT 8 and ISAR.

The administration explained that the EPO complied with the standard requirements, the measurements being performed by DEKRA. If some lighting needed to be increased, this would be done accordingly. It was suggested to directly open a ticket for such matters in Serviceline, with detailed indication of time and location of the dark area. Thus in some cases in the past lighting measurements have been undertaken, direct reporting facilitated quick, pragmatic solutions.

Your representatives of the Local Staff Committee Munich (LSCMN)

Animal welfare aside (I spent hours today cleaning up the yard for our birds), it's rather hilarious what they mean by "adaptive" when talking about robots, presumed to be adapting to staff's working hours. Humans who clean offices can also show up at arbitrary times depending on demand (even at night). It's just a question of cost.

Don't be misled by fake "innovation" (newly-purchased gadgets).

That's just typical cost-cutting ideologues at work. Maybe they want to also replace all the examiners with useless chatbots, with datacentres processing millions (billions?) of chatbot-generated patent applications while robots keep the server room/s clean and tidy. Nothing says innovation louder than machines spewing out slop to be assessed by other slop, right? Maybe they can even come up with terms like "cryptopatents" and be done with it. What a bubble!

Think that's a joke?

Don't laugh.

It has gotten close to that under António Campinos, who under the guise of "hey hi" (AI) allows granting of endless European software patents - i.e. patents which are both illegal and undesirable. █