Bonum Certa Men Certa

Mark Rutte Under Pressure to Stop Battistelli's EPO From Violating Laws With Impunity

Battistelli Orb



Summary: Pressure is growing in the EPO's second-largest 'base' to actually enforce the law because Germany does not seem to be interested

THE staff union of the EPO, SUEPO, has finally translated a bunch of articles which we hoped it would translate. These were translated into several languages, but English is the language we focus on (Spanish is the second language). We have converted these translations into HTML and highlighted a few bits which we found more important (not much new information there). Here is the original from FNV:

FNV: ‘Rutte must intervene at the European Patent Office to prevent infringement of employees’ rights’

The Netherlands Trade Union Confederation (FNV) has called on Prime Minister Mark Rutte and Minister of Social Affairs and Employment Wouter Koolmees in a letter to intervene at the European Patent Office (EPO). The EPO is once again breaking Dutch law.

The Netherlands partly responsible

Marieke Manschot, Director of FNV Government: “As a host country for foreign businesses, the Netherlands is (partly) responsible for the rights of the employees on its territory and must therefore intervene to protect employees’ rights. In order to continue attracting and retaining foreign investors, good working conditions are necessary.’

Management conducting a reign of terror

The EPO is proposing to abolish the majority of permanent employment contracts, even if the nature of the work does not require this. The contracts for future employees will be replaced by temporary contracts with a maximum duration of five years, which is extendible. This is in breach of the Dutch Work and Security Act. Staff representatives, such as the works council or union representatives, will also no longer be involved in the hiring policy for new employees.

‘The abuses at the EPO are stacking up,’ says Tuur Elzinga, Vice Chair of the FNV. ‘We have already taken action along with the staff as the management were intimidating staff and critical individuals had been dismissed with immediate effect. Now the employees are also being denied the security of a permanent contract. The Dutch government must intervene to stop this reign of terror by the management.’

Infringement of European legislation

Like all other Member States of the European Union, the Netherlands has a responsibility towards employees working on its territory. This means, among other things, that employees in temporary employment are not treated worse than employees in permanent employment. Abuse by switching to only successive temporary employment contracts, for example, must therefore be prevented. In this context, the FNV also refers to infringements of European legislation (Directive 1999/70/EC).

On 30 January 2018, the proposal to abolish permanent employment contracts will be discussed by the EPO in Munich. In March, the proposal will be presented to the Administrative Council of the EPO. Elzinga: ‘Dutch representatives at the EPO will be present at both meetings. This will be an excellent opportunity to raise the issue of the breach of the employees’ rights.’


Another short article about that. Note Mark Rutte's role in all this:

‘New abuses at European Patent Office’

The Netherlands Trade Union Confederation (FNV) is sounding the alarm on new abuses at the European Patent Office. According to the union, the European organisation, which is based in Rijswijk, is on the cusp of breaking Dutch law.

The patent office has plans to abolish the majority of permanent contracts.

The contracts for future employees will be replaced by temporary contracts with a maximum duration of five years, which is extendible. You can’t simply do that here, states the FNV in a letter to Prime Minister Mark Rutte and Minister of Social Affairs and Employment Wouter Koolmees. The union believes that the government needs to intervene.

“The abuses at the European Patent Office are stacking up,” says Tuur Elzinga, Vice Chair of the FNV. “We have already taken action along with the staff as the management were intimidating staff and critical individuals had been dismissed with immediate effect.”


A somewhat long article with an old photo:

‘Further abuses at European Patent Office’

[Photo]

Demonstration against patent office, Archive photograph 2016, Remco Out

RIJSWIJK - The Netherlands Trade Union Confederation (FNV) is sounding the alarm on new abuses at the European Patent Office. According to the union, the organisation, which is based in Rijswijk, is on the cusp of breaking Dutch law with plans to abolish the majority of permanent contracts. The Patent Office refutes the claim.

The FNV is complaining about a plan to replace contracts for future employees with temporary contracts with a maximum duration of five years, which is extendible. You can’t simply do that here, states the union in a letter to Prime Minister Mark Rutte and Minister of Social Affairs and Employment Wouter Koolmees. The union believes that the government needs to intervene.

‘The abuses at the European Patent Office are stacking up,’ says Tuur Elzinga, Vice Chair of the FNV. ‘We have already taken action along with the staff as the management were intimidating staff and critical individuals had been dismissed with immediate effect.’

'Nothing decided yet'

The Patent Office denies that anything has been decided yet. The office is also absolutely not bound by national employment laws, as an international organisation, a spokesperson responded. According to him, European legislation is also not applicable, as the office is not an EU institution.

The European Patent Office was set up in 1977. Countries outside the EU are also members. 6800 people work there, 2700 of these in Rijswijk. These are mainly permanent employees. The organisation’s Administrative Council is meeting in March about ways to hire temporary employees more easily.


And more from the local media:

FNV: ‘European Patent Office infringing on employees’ rights’

The Financieel Dagblad newspaper has reported that the Netherlands Trade Union Confederation (FNV) has called on Prime Minister Rutte and Minister of Social Affairs and Employment Koolmees in a letter to intervene at the European Patent Office (EPO) in Rijswijk.

The FNV has sent the letter because the EPO, which is located in Rijswijk, is planning to abolish the majority of permanent contracts. For future employees, only contracts for a maximum of five years will be available. These contracts would be extendible. This is not currently legal in the Netherlands.

‘The abuses at the EPO are stacking up,’ Tuur Elzinga, Vice Chair of the FNV, tells Financieel Dagblad. ‘We have already taken action along with the staff as the management were intimidating staff and critical individuals had been dismissed with immediate effect. Now the employees are also being denied the security of a permanent contract.’

According to Marieke Manschot, Director of FNV Government, immunity is the major problem. ‘Thanks to the Vienna Convention, the EPO enjoys immunity as an international organisation. So it is very difficult to tackle things, as you cannot make any demands. The EPO must observe Dutch employment law, but it is not doing so.’

The plan to abolish permanent employment contracts will be discussed by the EPO on 30 January.


Considering the attacks SUEPO has come under over the years, we generally regard copies to be necessary. Quite a few times in the past SUEPO was forced to withdraw something it had published. SUEPO's Web site has more translations as PDF files.

Recent Techrights' Posts

Hate Mail From Anonymous Cowards
if this persists, we'll need to escalate
Informal Open Letter to the Lawyer of the Microsofters (on Who's Funding the SLAPPs Against Techrights)
Whenever I ask about the funding they try to change the subject and act all aggressive
Microsoft Lunduke is Just Provoking People for Provocation's Sake
Be forewarned and remember where this guy came from: Microsoft
 
Links 09/08/2025: Apollo 13 Astronaut Jim Lovell Dies, Slop Future Bleak
Links for the day
After Shutting Down Studios, Divisions, Applications (e.g. Skype) Microsoft is Also Shutting Down 'Apps'
Cuts all around as layoffs persist this month, Microsoft tries to get many people to resign, and debt skyrockets
Most of Geminispace Can Probably Fit on a CD-ROM or a DVD (the Textual Part)
If one excludes very large capsules and ones that contain non-textual contenty
Eventually UEFI 'Secure Boot' Will be Dropped (Users Will Demand Its Removal and Boycott Its Pushers)
we expect OEMs will just listen to users
The Register MS: We Know Slop is a Bubble and Mindless Hype, But We Get Paid to Participate
Call out the culprits
There Are Probably Over a Million Pages in Geminispace
there are two many limitations which merit a mention when it comes to assessing magnitude
Besieged by Plagiarists Who Play With LLMs and Image Fusions
We really need to exercise or use our collective voice to oppose Serial Sloppers
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Friday, August 08, 2025
IRC logs for Friday, August 08, 2025
Gemini Links 09/08/2025: Water Painting and Political Violence
Links for the day
Slopwatch: LLM Sloppers in Google News, LinuxSecurity, and More
they also perpetuate some falsehoods as the LLMs lack any comprehension
Links 08/08/2025: China King of Plastics and US Dictator Plans to Meet Russian Dictator
Links for the day
Gemini Links 08/08/2025: Cracking a Family Member's Password and Overdose of Slop
Links for the day
Red Hat's Latest Talent Hunt, Day Ahead of Mass Layoffs, is Yet Another Microsoft Executive
Red Hat will apparently commence mass layoffs early this coming Monday
Links 08/08/2025: "Quit Facebook" and High Cost of Microsoft/Windows Shown Again ("BlackSuit")
Links for the day
Good Morning, Readers of The Register MS
Things The Register MS could (but does not) cover this morning
Why Gemini Protocol Has a Bright Future
Maybe Gemini Protocol's promise becomes more appealing as the Web turns to slop and bloat
It's a Lot Easier to Participate in the Unethical System Than to Oppose Injustices in It
Going after powerful and high-budget interests is never easy
Microsofters Filed Two SLAPPs Against Us, Now They Cannot Keep Up With Judges' Orders
For over 4 months already their facilitator in London has been under investigation by British authorities because of what's being done to my wife and I
Censorship Regarding Red Hat Layoffs
Talk about this? They'd rather not.
Struggling to Cut Costs, Microsoft Continues Shutting Down and Cancelling Stuff This Month
There are August layoffs at Microsoft
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Thursday, August 07, 2025
IRC logs for Thursday, August 07, 2025
Fake 'Linux' Articles, Written by Bots to Take Traffic Away From Real Articles
LLM slop helps replace information with junk or misinformation
When Google's Googlebombing of "Gemini" Was Not Enough; They Now Also Googlebomb "Gemini Space"?
We know GAFAM not only worries about Gemini Protocol but also attempts to 'infiltrate' Geminispace
The Register MS Promotes Microsoft Slop, Assumes All Readers Use Microsoft Windows
Microsoft really dominates the site
Gemini Links 08/08/2025: KDE/Qt Development and What's Missing From "Retro"
Links for the day
Links 07/08/2025: US Punishes India Instead of Russia, Attacks Law Firms to Prevent Scrutiny
Links for the day
Read Us in Geminispace as Well
it's definitely a lot simpler than using a Web browser
Once a Site About BSD and GNU/Linux, and After Months of Silence, LinuxBSDos.com Comes Back Only as a Slopfarm
very frustrating
Links 07/08/2025: Hardware Wars, Mass Recall of Colgate Total Clean Mint, More Microsoft Holes Found
Links for the day
Gemini Links 07/08/2025: "Right To Manage" and LoRa Analysis
Links for the day
For the First Time in a Month OSI's "OpenSource.org" Blogs and It's Basically a Microsoft Blog Post (Microsoft Controls OSI)
For the first time in a month OSI writes something and it is Microsoft propaganda composed by a Microsoft-salaried operative
Microsoft, Already Borrowing 3 Billion Dollars a Month, is Trying to Cause Many People to Resign
MSN (i.e. Microsoft) and others openly admit it
GAFAM 'Says' is Front Page "News"
The point of journalism is to check and assess facts, not parrot what people and companies merely claim
Links 07/08/2025: Apple Makes False Promises, More Trouble for Microsoft
Links for the day
OSS Didn't Always Mean Open Source Software
"oligarchs all the way down"
The Register MS Does More Microsoft Sez or GitHub Sez (Says) Pieces
60 minutes ago
They Want Activists to Just Barely Walk and Eat, Not Do Activism Anymore
It's sort of like the ending of '1984'
Quit Perpetuating the Narrative of Gemini Protocol 'Dying' (It's False)
The "whisper campaign" against Gemini Protocol
Criticising Social Control Media in Social Control Media
Many people are quitting Social Control Media (fewer of them announce this in public)
Non-Free JavaScript Programs in Banks Aren't Even the Biggest Problem
Technology was supposed to make life easier; in practice, however, for most of us the opposite effect can be observed
Slopfarms Are Typically Fake News
Slopfarms typically relay falsehoods
Gemini Links 06/08/2025: Replacing a Pocket Watch and Buying in Bulk
Links for the day
IBM is Obliterating Fedora
"Fedora releases were shipping with an increasing number of bugs on launch day even while I was using it for a several year stretch."
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Wednesday, August 06, 2025
IRC logs for Wednesday, August 06, 2025