The latest EPO protest photographed

This picture was taken in the Erhardtstraße in Munich, in front of the EPO seat

Summary: The unrest at the EPO escalates as after many public protests/demonstrations even strikes are in the making

YESTERDAY evening we gave some details about the latest EPO protests and more that have yet to take place. The anger is justified and the actions have been rather effective for numerous reasons we covered here before.

Based on the latest status report, which we have seen thanks to some readers, there is a strike petition is managed by an independent lawyer. It's probably going to happen considering the success of recent petitions.

Call for strike in accordance with Circular 347 “Lawfulness at the EPO”

The undersigned, noting:

• the dismissal of two elected staff representatives on 15 January 2016 and the severe downgrading of a third



• their lack of confidence that the procedure conducted against these colleagues complied with sound European legal principles based on Human Rights



• the sustained deterioration of the legal framework under which EPO staff work since the current President took office

request:

• the immediate suspension of the disciplinary measures against the three staff representatives
• a truly independent review of the cases against the staff representatives by a body that enjoys the full trust of both the management and the staff of the EPO
• the revocation of all recent changes to the Service Regulations and their implementing texts concerning the legal framework, including:
  • Social Democracy
  • Strike regulations
  
  
  
  • Internal Appeals Reform
  • Health and sick-leave regulations
  • Investigation guidelines
  • Reform on invalidity
• the initiation of open and fair negotiations between management and staff representatives, led by an internationally recognised mediator/conciliator

For the above reasons, the undersigned call for the organisation of a ballot among all staff at the EPO on the question of a single day of office-wide strike during the month of March 2016.

In addition to that, we have become aware of another action/protest. It took place a day before the Munich protest (pictured above). We've learned from sources about actions at The Hague for example. "The announced GA that took place Tuesday 19.01," we've learned, "was [went] very well a ended and the with all seats filled (ca. 700-800 persons)."

"Munich," in addition to that, "joined by colleagues from Vienna," had "the announced Demonstration on the 20.01 in front of the Bayerische Staatskanzlei" and it "was as usual peaceful and very well a ended with 1300 participants according to the police.

"A petition was handed over to the German authorities, repeating the claims that had earlier been approved by staff in a General Assembly on 17.11.2015, now calling on the Bavarian government to use its influence to find solutions to the present situation."

There was also action in Berlin as "despite the freezing weather, the second “Mahnwache” in this new year was well a ended," we've learned.

Based on the above, despite the sacking of representatives, the actions are only intensifying, demonstrating yet again that EPO managers fail to understand the Streisand Effect. Their union-busting efforts backfire in a very major way and may culminate in strikes (cessation of work) in a couple of months from now. It gets even worse for EPO managers, for reasons we shall mention later (in a separate post). ⬆

"Power is not a means, it is an end. One does not establish a dictatorship in order to safeguard a revolution; one makes the revolution in order to establish the dictatorship."

--George Orwell