Very Large Strike at the European Patent Office Today, "Production" Sank a Huge Deal
The European Patent Office (EPO) is on strike. Today it'll involve several sites. Quoting and paraphrasing the union and representatives in the two major "sites" of the European Patent Office, let's put things in perspective, as the media deliberately ignores it all. It has in effect taken the side of corrupt officials.
The union, SUEPO Munich, has asked staff to go on strike today. Quoting SUEPO Munich:
Weeks of 25 May to 5 June: Work-To-Rule continues, and Strike on Friday 29 May, Monday 1 June and Friday 5 June
Dear SUEPO Members,
Dear Colleagues,
The delegates met in the Budget and Finance Committee on 20 and 21 May in Munich to discuss the new salary adjustment procedure causing an erosion of EPO salaries, pensions and benefits. At the same time, EPO staff was offered free breakfast during the Campus Days to ensure the “happy staff image”.
The Central Staff Committee (CSC) has published a flash update from the meeting. Staff representatives distributed handouts on the social unrest and expressed the message of staff: eroding staff benefits will erode staff commitment. The longer meaningful negotiations are refused, the more the productivity culture and will to go the extra mile that previously drove the Office’s continuous efficiency gains will continue to decline.
Therefore, the SUEPO Munich Action Plan 2026 adopted on 19 January 2026 continues with
Work-To-Rule actions,
Days of strike on Friday 29 May, Monday 1 June and Friday 5 June
Two days of strike per week (Mondays and Friday) in May and June
Demonstration on Thursday 30 June in front of the Isar building, all Munich staff is invited and staff from other places of employment will also join
Notice in the above the part about "Friday 29 May". In The Hague, staff goes on strike any day of the week, especially on Anchor Days (next one Monday 8 June) as we shall explain in the coming weekend. There are also elections there and candidates are said to assure the current policy - i.e. to support the industrial actions. Quoting the SUEPO TH [The Hague] committee:
We are pleased to have a SUEPO team of 17 candidates, including new colleagues whom we are delighted to welcome, who are ready to continue to:- Defend the rights and interests of all EPO staff members,
- Resist the erosion of working conditions,
- Provide effective communication between staff and their representatives,
- Improve fairness and transparency at the EPO, and
- Strive to enhance the collective spirit at the Office.
We'll soon show some numbers associated with these highly successful industrial actions.
"At a time of industrial action and continued cuts to the working conditions," they say, "supporting your union is of paramount importance. Your vote empowers the team to continue resisting the erosion of our rights through negotiation, legal challenges, and collective action."
As a bit of a spoiler, they say "production counter is down more than 10k products and more than 10k strike participations have been registered at the time of writing."
At this pace, we might be looking at tens of thousands fewer European Patents being granted this year. Many were granted illegally in order to fake "production". █