EPO Staff Losing Holidays, as Usual, as the Office Increases Profits by Illegally Granting Invalid Patents While Reducing Salaries
Recent: Is the Second-Largest Institution in Europe (EPO) Gradually Becoming More Like a Sweatshop?
For over a decade already we've shown that EPO staff lost national and European holidays. Benoît Battistelli kept taking away holidays and António Campinos maintains this tradition based on this new publication, as circulated this week among staff (sent by the Central Staff Committee):
Registration of leaveDear Colleagues,
In the announcement of 23 October 2025, the President reminded staff to register any form of leave, flexitime or compensation hours for the closure days on 29/30 December 2025. This is presumably based on Rule 4(b) of Circular No. 22, which states inter alia that staff shall take any type of authorised leave during such closures.
The Central Staff Committee (CSC) reminds that this regulation is legally questionable because it may conflict with the higher-ranking Article 59 ServRegs. Several complaints are pending before the ILOAT, and the judgments to be adopted at the current 141st Session should provide clarity.
The announcement makes it clear that if no booking of leave is made, two days will be automatically deducted from the compensation hours account. This should be the standard option for the time being. Line managers should refrain from continuing to exert unnecessary pressure on staff if they have not yet booked leave between Christmas and New Year.
In this open letter, the CSC requests the President to instruct management that booking leave is merely an option and not an obligation.
Here is the open letter to the man who illegally compels examiners to grant European software patents - i.e. patents which are both illegal and undesirable - in order to increase revenue.
European Patent Office
80298 Munich
GermanyCentral Staff Committee
Comité central du personnel
Zentraler PersonalausschusscentralSTCOM@epo.org
Reference: sc25065cl
Date: 30/10/2025 European Patent Office | 80298 MUNICH | GERMANY
To: Mr António Campinos (President of the Office)
By email:
To: president@epo.orgOPEN LETTER
Registration of leave for the Office closure days on 29/30 December 2025
Dear Mr President,
In your announcement on the intranet dated 23 October 2025, you remind staff to register any form of leave, flexitime or compensation hours for the closure days on 29/30 December 2025. Although you do not provide a legal basis for the reminder, it is presumably based on Rule 4(b) of Circular No. 22, which states inter alia that staff shall take any type of authorised leave during such closures.
The Central Staff Committee (CSC) would like to remind you that this regulation is legally questionable because it may conflict with the higher- ranking Article 59 ServRegs. Several complaints are pending before the ILOAT, and the judgments to be adopted at the current 141st Session should provide clarity.
You make it clear in your announcement that if no booking of leave is made, two days will be automatically deducted from the compensation hours account. The CSC recommends that the automatic deduction of compensation hours be the standard option for the time being. Depending on the outcome of the legal disputes, the Office may then simply refund the compensation hours deducted. This would help to avoid further litigation.
The CSC notes that your reminder is very cautiously worded due to the uncertain legal situation. Nevertheless, the CSC must note that line managers repeatedly exert unnecessary pressure on staff if they have not yet booked leave between Christmas and New Year. The CSC
therefore requests that management be instructed that booking leave is merely an option and not an obligation.
Sincerely yours,
Derek Kelly
Chairman of the Central Staff Committee
How much more can the staff endure and generally tolerate? Why take orders from people who do illegal things [1, 2]? █