Strikes at the EPO Carry on, Staff Union of the European Patent Office (SUEPO) Increases Pressure Ahead of Technical and Operational Support Committee (TOSC) Meeting Next Week
Tomorrow morning a very extensive, cross-site strike will take place. Prior to it, however, the local section The Hague (or SUEPO TH) wants to rally many staff members for the reasons stated below:
INTERNATIONALE GEWERKSCHAFT IM EUROPÄISCHEN PATENTAMT
STAFF UNION OF THE EUROPEAN PATENT OFFICE
UNION SYNDICALE DE L'OFFICE EUROPEEN DES BREVETSOrtssektion Den Haag
Local section The Hague
Section locale La Haye14 April 2026
su26014hpCall for strike – Next “Anchor day”: 20 April
Send a message the National Delegations in the days before the TOSC
Dear members, dear colleagues,
Next week, on April 22nd and 23rd, the Technical and Operational Support Committee (TOSC) will meet. This forum includes members of EPO management, administration and BIT, as well as representatives of the national delegations. The TOSC has a strong focus on co-operation (see also here and here), e.g. areas where the EPO provides free services to the National Offices such as Ansera based search, LIP, Machine Translation, EPO-paid retired examiners, seconded staff, and Young Professionals to work in their Offices, etc.
In the meantime, our employment package is steadily deteriorating at the request of these same national delegations. Our decision makers are refusing to engage in genuine social dialogue; they are not listening to the strong signs of discontent from staff and seem intent on wearing us down.
We cannot back down until we have tangible signs that the Administration will provide us with a SAP suitable for maintaining purchasing power of our salary scales. This is why SUEPO TH calls for all staff in the Hague to strike immediately prior to the TOSC on recommended “anchor day” Monday 20th April. Staff at all other EPO sites will also be on strike on that day, see here.
In parallel, the action plan continues, with a call to all staff to strike 23 days1, on any days of the week, until the end of June and work-to-rule: working thoroughly, avoiding rushing or working longer than your contracted hours, refraining from voluntary projects, taking leave appropriate to your personal situation (sick leave, special leave,…), completing trainings, participating in professional development and strengthening collaboration within teams. Production still needs to drop further, and all work not done due to industrial actions should not be compensated for, neither by yourself nor by your colleagues.
Please note the guide to production pressure at a time of industrial actions, and do not hesitate to contact us for assistance.
Defend Your Employment Package. Protect Your Future. Join the Strikes.
Kind regards,
Your SUEPO TH committee, M18B10 and De Bruyn Kopsstraat, 15, Rijswijk
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1 23 days might seem like a lot, and we wish to remind you that we have lost the equivalent of 100 days of strike per employee since the present SAP was introduced.
APPROVED ACTION PLAN
It's red every day, yet the corporate media is totally silent about this. Does Luis-under-the influence still have the media under his influence? █
Image source: Fireworks at The Hague, June 14, 1713 on the Occasion of the Peace of Utrecht