Bonum Certa Men Certa

EPO Staff Representative Jesus Areso Explains the Crisis to the Administrative Council

Summary: An intervention by an EPO Central Staff Committee (CSC) member who is under gag orders from Battistelli's regime and cannot speak about his case, which apparently involves truly severe disciplinary actions for merely helping or contributing to a staff survey (not controlled by and paid for by Battistelli)

"Unfortunately not a lot of information [is] leaking," told us one source about this week's secret meeting which helps determine the EPO's future. "Here is what I got," this source told us, "get your own idea!"



"Jesus Areso who is a CSC representative was in the AC [Administrative Council] meeting today," we got told. "The text is in German. After the sexy presentation by Battistelli of his "social report for 2015" Jesus Areso [whose personal story we mentioned here before], CSC representative attending the Council meetings for The Hague, made the following intervention:

Personalausschuß (JA): Ich weiß, daß wir es eilig haben. Aber als Personalvertreter benötigen wir fünf Minuten von Ihrer Zeit. Wir wissen zu schätzen, daß das Dokument umfangreich ist. Wir müssen auch die Trends betrachten und anschauen, was nicht im Bericht steht. Es gibt 77 weniger Bedienstete. 15 Mitglieder weniger in den Beschwerdekammern ist ein enormer Rückgang. In den Geschlechterunterschieden können Sie feststellen, daß 1/3 Frauen sind. Wenn Sie aber die höchsten Besoldungsgruppen anschauen, sehen Sie, daß nur eine Frau von sechs Personen bei den Beförderungen dabei ist. Eine Frau von zehn Personen wird in die höchste Stellengruppe gesetzt. Dies ist im 21. Jahrhundert nicht in Ordnung. Es gibt 20 % mehr Bewerbungen. Einstellungen sind um 34 % gesunken. Wir haben niemand aus Slowenien, Tschechien, Norwegen, der Schweiz etc. niemanden mehr eingestellt. Die Anzahl der britischen Kollegen sinkt dramatisch. 100 Kollegen sind 2014 in Rente gegangen. 2015 waren des doppelt so viele. Jetzt ist das Durchschnittspensionsalter bei 61,1 im Gegensatz zu 63 Jahren vorher. Bei den internen Beschwerden wurde nur 1 % zugelassen. Es ist kein Wunder, daß die VGIAO-Beschwerden gestiegen sind. Aspekte der sozialen Situation sind gar nicht im Bericht. Wir verweisen dafür auf den Technologia-Bericht. Das Vertrauen in den Präsidenten ist 0 %, 11 % des Personals als psychische Risiken. Die soziale Situation wird in den Zeitungen immer wieder erwähnt. In 2015 wurden Elisabeth Hardon und Ion Brumme entlassen. Das Sekretariat wurde gekürzt. Trotz Ihrer Resolution hat Herr Battistelli Disziplinarverfahren gegen Herrn Prunier eingeleitet. Ein weiterer Personalvertreter aus Berlin wurde entlassen. Wann hört dies endlich auf. Die Resolution aus März war schon ein Schritt in die richtige Richtung. Wir fordern den Rat auf, diese Entschließung auch umzusetzen.


"Guess what," said our source, "neither a single comment nor a single question from a single delegation." They must be afraid of the crazed Battistelli, who has already bullied some of them.

Here is an English translation: (using Google Translation)

Staff Committee (YES): I know that we are in a hurry. But as a personal representative we need five minutes from your time. We appreciate that the document is extensive. We need to look and see and not in the report, the trends. There are 77 fewer staff. 15 members less in the boards is a huge decline. In the gender differences you may notice that 1/3 women. But if you look at the top grades, you will see that only one woman in six people in the transport is. One woman out of ten is placed in the highest position group. This is not in order in the 21st century. There are 20% more applications. Settings have fallen by 34%. We have no one from Slovenia, Czech Republic, Norway, Switzerland, etc. set anyone. The number of British colleagues drops dramatically. 100 colleagues have retired, 2014. 2015 were of twice as many. Now, the average retirement age is 61.1, as opposed to 63 years ago. The internal complaints only 1% was approved. It is no wonder that the VGIAO complaints have risen. Aspects of the social situation are not in the report. We refer it to the Technologia report. Confidence in the president is 0%, 11% of the staff as a mental risks. The social situation is repeatedly mentioned in the newspapers. In 2015 Elizabeth Hardon and ion Brumme were dismissed. The Secretariat has been shortened. Despite your Resolution Mr Battistelli has initiated disciplinary proceedings against Mr. Prunier. Another staff representatives from Berlin was dismissed. When this finally stop. The resolution of March was a step in the right direction. We urge the Council to also implement this resolution.



If someone has any more information (not necessarily minutes or reports) or has heard anything whatsoever about the meeting of the EPO and the Organisation's Administrative Council, please get in touch so that we can inform people. Transparency is crucial for accountability. Battistelli prefers secrecy as it helps hide or spread uncertainty about his abuses (making it harder for reporters to write about these abuses).

Recent Techrights' Posts

European Patent Office (EPO) Series: Czech Mate: EPO Kingmaker or Merely a Pawn in the Game?
recent "missions" of the EPO President
SLAPP Censorship - Part 131 Out of 200: A Big Win for the Media in the United Kingdom (UK) Today
In a democratic society the Right to Know, which is closely connected to freedom of the press (or what one might label "blogging" or "blag"), comes above all else, except where there are lives being put at risk
IBM's Fedora Plans to Integrate Slop Into "Fedora Workstation as a Default Feature."
IBM does not care whether the community wants this or not
The Media Talks a Lot About XBox Layoffs, a Closer Look at the Data Shows Microsoft 'Bloodbath'
'Bloodbath' is the term insiders use
 
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Tuesday, July 07, 2026
IRC logs for Tuesday, July 07, 2026
Links 07/07/2026: Microsoft Cuts Doom "id Software" and Turkey Detains Journalists
Links for the day
Gemini Links 07/07/2026: Old Computer Challenge (OCC) and Hardware Tests
Links for the day
A Break From the Routine
What matters is what whistleblowers keep feeding information to us
SLAPP Censorship - Part 132 Out of 200: When You Cannot Pay a Million Pounds (1,335,520.00 United States Dollar) to Lawyers But Have a Strong Community
Techrights compensates for its fiscal poverty with a wealth of community spirit
Fame is Not the Goal
"Fame" kills
Mental Health in Free Software Communities
clearly there is a subject that merits debate and it ought not be a taboo anymore
The Era of Sponsored Spam
There is no "era of AI", there is era of BRIBES to PRETEND there is an "era of AI"
Gemini Links 07/07/2026: Cleaning, Old Computer, and More
Links for the day
Links 07/07/2026: Le Monde Combats LLM Slop Plagiarism, "ACLU Launches Largest Ever Midterm Electoral Program"
Links for the day
Extremism in the Free Software World is Mostly a Myth
Only the firm belief that justice applies to all will produce a just society
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Monday, July 06, 2026
IRC logs for Monday, July 06, 2026
Links 07/07/2026: Kernelized Secure Operating System (KSOS) and "Exploiting Thoughtcrime in LLMs"
Links for the day
SLAPP Censorship - Part 130 Out of 200: Jealousy, Envy, Hubris
This site is primarily about Free software
Gemini Links 06/07/2026: Still Mostly Dry, GoToSocial, and More
Links for the day
European Patent Office (EPO) Series: Effective Dispute Resolution… But Not For EPO Staff
Slovenia fielded one of the few Administrative Council delegations which managed to maintain its own independent line against the tyrannical EPOnian "Sun King"
Community Sites Need Genuine Collaboration and True Autonomy
People who want to communicate, federate and organise for effective change need to evolve
Free Software Foundation (FSF) Covers Quibble, Free Software for Secure Communications, in the FSF Summer Bulletin
The Georgia Tech folks are bringing Free software education and contributions to one of the better known Computer Science hubs in the US
Microsoft Layoffs Include Windows, Bing, Slop (CoPilot etc.) and There Will More More Rounds (or Waves) to Come
"43% of Xbox laid off"
Obscene Contradiction in Microsoft's Layoffs Tally ("Official" Numbers Do Not Add Up)
Notice how they treat "LinkedIn" as separate
Preserving Comments About the Real IBM Before They Get Deleted
IBM in the 1980s is not what it is right now
Cybershow on "Escaping Prisons For Your Mind"
"THE CYBER SHOW: Stealing technofascism's boots, and stomping on its own face with them."
Links 06/07/2026: At Least 20% Staff Reduction in XBox (Microsoft), Taiwan Sees Uptick in Chinese Aggression/Provocation, Senator Rodante Marcoleta Arrested
Links for the day
Confirmed: Microsoft Layoffs Come in Two Waves, Just Like Last Summer
To us, what stands out is the admission from Microsoft that there are two (or more) waves
In Praise of the UK's Stance on Free Speech (but Some Reservations)
At the moment there is a healthy discussion going on with the objective of disrupting attacks on British press
Exposing Corruption at the European Patent Office (EPO), a Call for More Whistleblowers
We predict that, provided enough whistleblowers speak out, António "the unready" won't even finish his current term
Leaving Our Pets for Several Days
This week our pets will be worried that "mommy and daddy" are away
Dating Trees and Dating 'Apps'
several high-profile stories in the news about scandals in "dating apps"
DW Documentary About Julian Assange Turns 2
It was released just days after Assange had turned 53 and about two weeks after he had left the UK
Independent Media is the Only Form of Legitimate Media
Independent media is, indeed, what we need to demand more of
The Story of the European Patent Office (EPO) Wagging the Dog (EU)
The aim of the series is to properly inform the world - not just Europeans - how Europe's second-largest institution is run [...] How did a corporate hub of monopolies become so detached from the Rule of Law?
GNU/Linux Up to New High in Libya, Windows Down to All-Time Low
GNU/Linux touches 5% there, based on statCounter
Links 06/07/2026: Artists Reject Slop (or Even de Facto Bribes to Market/Endorse Slop)
Links for the day
SLAPP Censorship - Part 129 Out of 200: Iranian Tactics
Hunger for revenge compels people to do overzealous, irrational things
Quiet Week
Many in the US are still enjoying an extended weekend
The Media Needs to Speak of Slop as a Climate Issue Like It Did With Bitcoin
But the slop industry keeps paying the media to play along with the hype
IBM's Fall
IBM's fate is closely connected to that of the Free software movement because of the salaries
Social Dialogue at the European Patent Office (EPO) is Dead, the Strikes and Work Stoppage-Like Actions Carry on
What next for the EPO?
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Sunday, July 05, 2026
IRC logs for Sunday, July 05, 2026
Links 05/07/2026: Shadows of the Upper Peninsula and 2026 Old Computer Challenge
Links for the day