Bonum Certa Men Certa

What Really Happened Last Year When Workers of the European Patent Office, Europe's Second-Largest Institution, Were About to Go on Strike

Summary: The full story of what happened behind the scenes around the time of the call for strike (less than a year after a "new" (recycled) and "better" president had been appointed, perpetuating the same abuses)

LAST year we wrote that after less than a year at the EPO there was already a plan to go on strike against the António Campinos regime, in spite of barriers put in place by Benoît Battistelli (to suppress strikes). As noted here at the time, the strike was barely averted, but it served to show the growing sentiment among staff (that Campinos had failed). The latest effort to go on strike was derailed by a pandemic. Those nihilists who run the Office (unqualified officers who just "know the right people") are destroying thousands of lives directly. "Death is nothing, but to live defeated and inglorious is to die daily," Napoleon Bonaparte said. Frenchman (also Portuguese) Campinos says he has principles; what principles and whose principles?



"Talks broke down. There's nobody left to talk to."Today we publish 4 files. It has been over a year, so it's time to 'declassify' those sorts of things, showing the general public what's happening behind the closed doors and diplomatic immunity.

We have:



Here's everything as images as well.

May 16 strike




USF letter 2019




FICSA letter to EPO's Campinos Page 1

FICSA letter to EPO's Campinos Page 2




EPO strike June 2019 Page 1

EPO strike June 2019 Page 2

EPO strike June 2019 Page P3

The latest letter (above) was from June, bearing the following message (accompanying context/background):

To Strike or Not To Strike - That is the Question



Things have been moving fast these last weeks.

Triggered by the rather disappointing meeting with the President on 16 May, SUEPO Central submitted a call for strike. Due to the EPO€´s rather special strike regulations (Circular No. 347) such swift action was necessary for planning a strike to coincide with the June-meeting of the Administrative Council.

This call for strike – and no doubt also the letter from FICSA and the resolution unanimously adopted at the recent USF Congress – seems to have focused senior management€´s minds. Earlier foot-dragging turned into several meetings being organised at short notice, culminating in a meeting with both CSC and SUEPO Central on Monday 3 June.

During this meeting the President showed understanding for several points. This resulted in some concrete commitments and limited progress.


As readers are aware, there are now renewed actions and heightened tensions. Which is partly what motivated us to publish many documents. Better late than never. Talks broke down. There's nobody left to talk to.

Recent Techrights' Posts

Gemini Links 14/07/2026: Old CD Binder and AWK
Links for the day
In Defence of Physical Tickets
Tickets are not some "app" and not some "code" on some "screen"
Microsoft Layoffs Not Limited to XBox (False Narrative in the Mainstream Media)
Microsoft is becoming less relevant and workforce reductions won't end any time soon
Links 14/07/2026: Plagiarism Spun as "Training", Zelensky Announces Leadership Shuffle
Links for the day
The Register MS Has Just Published "AI" Webspam That Mentions "AI" 54 Times. It Was Paid to Do This.
Who pays for all this "AI" hype or "buzz"?
Gemini Links 14/07/2026: Self-Advocacy Online; "The Internet Is Dead: How the Web Lost Its Human Soul"
Links for the day
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Monday, July 13, 2026
IRC logs for Monday, July 13, 2026
Modern Technology Harms Women More Than Men (Because the 'Tech Bros' Who Dominate STEM Have a Poor View of Women)
“Privacy protects us from abuses by those in power, even if we're doing nothing wrong at the time of surveillance.”
Internet Relay Chat Trolls Are Not Expressing Opinions, They Are Saboteurs
For the record
Links 14/07/2026: "The Freedom of Information Act Is in Serious Trouble"; Irish Datacenters Use Up Almost 25% of Total Energy
Links for the day
The Register MS: "AI" Puff Pieces for Sale, Not Journalism at All, Just "Webspam"
The Register MS isn't the sole culprit
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Sunday, July 12, 2026
IRC logs for Sunday, July 12, 2026
How We Do Techrights (and What's Changing Next Week)
Many former news sites no longer yield much non-meaningless news (not anymore); there's a gap to be filled
Links 12/07/2026: Palantir Unrest and Wireshark 4.6.7
Links for the day
Links 12/07/2026: New Instrument Time and PalmOS Experiences in 2026
Links for the day
Red Hat Staff Says IBM Policy Has Stigmatised Him as a Tool and a Slopper With Plagiarism Tools
IBM is killing Red Hat with slop
Freedom of Choice or Freedom Versus Choice (or When All Choices Are Incompatible With Freedom)
When some business asserts that it gives people different options, then it can rightly argue that it offers some choices, but that is not the same as freedom
Techrights IRC Turns 5 Without a “Code of Conduct”, “Code of Conduct Committee”, and All Those Bureaucratic Nightmares
18+ years if one counts our time in Freenode as well
Why U No Use AI???
Many hype waves come and go
There Are Still Slopfarms in Google News
Google is trying to participate in if not lead this pyramid scheme
The Cyber Show Explains How Slop and Promotion of Slop is About Taking Control Away From Computer Users
"On making a trustworthy machine"
Keeping Available the Site at All Times
Informal arrangements and crowdfunding keep our work available despite resistance (including from people who break the law)
What If "Era of AI" and "AI Revolution" (Fake News) Never Happened?
So how much longer before the bust (or bubble-burst)?
GNU/Linux Approaches 5% in Australia
5% by year's end?
Europe/EU is Moving Towards Independence, Fast to Adopt Free Software
More and more states (governments, public sector) in Germany are dumping Microsoft
GNU/Linux Grows at the Expense of Windows
People who want to get work done already left Windows
Tux Machines Growing as a Volunteers-Run Site
Historically the site did not have many original stories, but this changed as the audience grew and the site gained more recognition
Links 12/07/2026: European Commission Versus ‘Addictive Design’, "Google Loses Final Appeal Over $4.7 Billion EU Android Antitrust Fine"
Links for the day
GNU/Linux Market Share Increases Some More Today, statCounter Measures It at 7.3%
Will more such thresholds and records be broken?
Gemini Links 12/07/2026: Studying Languages and 2026 Old Computer Challenge (OCC)
Links for the day
EPO "Cocaine Communication Manager" - Part XIII - At the EPO, Cocaine Addicts and Their Friends Are "Protected Class"
What does that tell us about the EPO?
Increasing Output by Focusing on Originals
It's probably more important to carry on with these than it is to keep abreast of non-crucial news
Amid Strikes and Industrial Actions, Young Professionals at the European Patent Office (EPO) Kept on 'Short Leash', According to the Local Staff Committee The Hague
Issues affecting Young Professionals
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Saturday, July 11, 2026
IRC logs for Saturday, July 11, 2026