Preparing for Potential Pre-Christmas Staff Strike at the European Patent Office (EPO)
Coming soon, if approved by staff
The second-largest European institution, EPO (Cocaine Office), has over 6,000 staff. Many of them are now debating or entertaining the plan of going on strike (or other industrial action, e.g. working slowly to protest).
Local Bureau Berlin, the "lesser known" EPO 'branch' (the 'HQ' is in Munich, not Berlin) wrote to its union members:
Dear SUEPO Members,The Local Section Berlin of SUEPO held a General Assembly on 13 November 2025. The members noted the impact of the current salary adjustment method on their purchasing power, which has significantly declined between 2020 and 2026.
The General Assembly unanimously mandated the Local Bureau Berlin of SUEPO to coordinate and organise, together with the other Local Bureaus, the preparations for industrial action. The President and the Chair of the Administrative Council have been informed by this open letter.
They're already formalised this by contacting "the Mafia" (and the protector of "the Mafia", Josef Kratochvíl):
INTERNATIONALE GEWERKSCHAFT IM EUROPÄISCHEN PATENTAMT
STAFF UNION OF THE EUROPEAN PATENT OFFICE
UNION SYNDICALE DE L'OFFICE EUROPEEN DES BREVETSOrtssektion Berlin
ocal Section Berlin
Section locale de Berlin17 November 2025
su25001bp – 0.2.1Mr António Campinos
President of the EPO– by email –
in copy:
Mr Josef Kratochvíl
Chair of the Administrative Council of the EPOrgOPEN LETTER
Mandate to coordinate and organise preparations for industrial action
Dear Mr Campinos,
The Local Section Berlin of SUEPO held a General Assembly on 13 November 2025. The members took note of the effects of the current salary adjustment method, particularly the significant decline in the purchasing power of their salaries over the period 2020 to 2026. This development stands in stark contrast to the sustained hard work of the staff, which has led to marked increase in production and productivity. The Assembly also recognised the substantially improved – now excellent – financial situation of the Office.
It is troubling that more than a thousand legal cases had to be initiated by SUEPO members because of the inadequate legal and technical quality of the current method. Staff and pensioners will now have to wait several years for the corresponding judgments.
In view of the upcoming discussions in the Administrative Council on a new salary adjustment method, the members expect that the damage already incurred by staff will be remedied. Moreover, any new method must reliably maintain the purchasing power of salaries and must fully comply with the legal and technical standards applied by other international organisations.
Therefore, the General Assembly unanimously mandated the Local Bureau Berlin of SUEPO to coordinate and organise, together with the other Local Bureaus, the preparations for industrial action. We nonetheless remain open to constructive dialogue and would appreciate continued contact with you.
Yours sincerely,
Peter Kempen
Chair of Local Bureau Berlin of SUEPO
It is dated 2 weeks ago, but we've only just received it.
Today my wife spontaneously reminded me - because of a photograph of me in front of Brandenburg Gate (random shuffle) - that when we traveled to Berlin (amid very high EPO tensions) staff at the airport separated us. I discussed this with some associates; I've since then not traveled abroad. █