05.05.16
Amid French Political Actions Against EPO Management French Consulate the Target of Next Week’s EPO Staff Protest
Largely French management the culprit, so can French politicians correct these ills?
As protests grow broader, larger venues required (Consulat Général de France à Munich above)
Summary: Next Wednesday at lunchtime staff of the European Patent Office will march to the French consulate in Munich in pursuit of labour rights, human rights etc. (not just of EPO staff but also, by extension, all staff in such unaccountable international institutions)
YESTERDAY it was announced by the staff union of the EPO that “actions [shall] continue at the European Patent Office” (the usual template), just shortly after French politicians had shown interest in the pleas of this union (we speculate there is a strategic correlation). “On Wednesday 11 May 2016,” unnamed SUEPO officials wrote (it’s highly risky identifying oneself these days), “a demonstration will take place in Munich (Germany) starting from the Kurt Haertel passage at 12.15h and ending at the French consulate.”
We have only found one instance of press coverage about it so far. It came from WIPR this morning and it provided some background as follows:
Staff members at the European Patent Office (EPO) will hold another demonstration next week, a month after nearly 3,000 workers went on strike.
According to the Staff Union of the European Patent Office, the next demo will be held on May 11.
The protest, at the EPO’s Munich branch, will start at Kurt Haertel passage, next to the EPO, at 12.15pm (local time) and end at the French consulate.
Last month, more than 2,600 staff went on strike in what an EPO source claimed was the highest number of strikers the office has seen.
According to the source, 2,078 employees were on strike for the full day, while 579 people went on a half-day strike. The total number of strikers throughout the day stood at 2,657 across the EPO’s four sites.
If thousands of workers are brave enough to go on strike in this climate of fear and intimidation by EPO management, then surely several thousands can gather in front of the French consulate (pictured above). █
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