Huge Strike at the European Patent Office (EPO) This Coming Friday (May 1st)
International Worker’s day
Workers of the EPO are intensifying their industrial actions, which are proving to have very visible, material effects. The following new publication shows some hard figures to accompany the message from the Staff Union of the European Patent Office (SUEPO):
INTERNATIONALE GEWERKSCHAFT IM EUROPÄISCHEN PATENTAMT
STAFF UNION OF THE EUROPEAN PATENT OFFICE
UNION SYNDICALE DE L'OFFICE EUROPEEN DES BREVETSOrtssektion Den Haag
Local section The Hague
Section locale La Haye24 April 2026
su26015hpCall for strike – Next “Anchor day”: Friday May 1st
Defend Your Employment Package on International Worker’s day
Dear members, dear colleagues,
First of all: thank you for supporting the industrial actions! Official numbers indicate a total of 7222 strike days accumulated between January 30th and April 20th. Grants were down in double digits in February and March, and production is down 8025 products at the time of writing.
Despite the strong signals of dissatisfaction from staff, the President came empty handed to the meeting of April 23rd and was not open to hearing the proposals of SUEPO on the Salary Adjustment Procedure (SAP). Instead, our colleagues are reporting that pressure is now being exerted by management to prioritize potential direct grants – probably to counter the drastic drop described above. The loss of capacity due to strike days has a significant impact on the production numbers – an area where the management are showing their nerves.
The action plan therefore continues, with the next recommended strike “Anchor Day” planned for International Worker’s Day, Friday May 1st, which is not a public holiday in The Hague.
The action plan further includes a call to all staff to strike 23 days1, on any days of the week, until the end of June and work-to-rule: working thoroughly, avoiding rushing or working longer than your contracted hours, refraining from voluntary projects, taking leave appropriate to your personal situation (sick leave, special leave,…), completing trainings, participating in professional development and strengthening collaboration within teams, and definitely not overshooting targets.
Further disruption is needed for the Administration to come to the negotiating table, and all work not done due to industrial actions should not be compensated for, neither by yourself nor by your colleagues.
Please note the guide to production pressure at a time of industrial actions, and do not hesitate to contact us for assistance.
Defend Your Employment Package. Protect Your Future. Join the Strikes.
Kind regards,
Your SUEPO TH committee, M18B10 and De Bruyn Kopsstraat, 15, Rijswijk
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1 23 days might seem like a lot, and we wish to remind you that we have lost the equivalent of 100 days of strike per employee since the present SAP was introduced.
APPROVED ACTION PLAN
*date to be confirmed
Will the "brother-in-low" (or law, or high) of "Cocaine Communication Manager" survive 2026? Will the delegates belatedly begin their search for another President?
The current President is a total catastrophe. Will his government 'Jesper' him soon? █
Image source: Anchor