Distraction and diversion phase at the expense of millions of Euros (EPO budget)

Reference: Watergate scandal

Summary: Despite Battistelli being the high-profile employee who 'sabotaged' the EPO, Team Battistelli would rather have people question the integrity of staff representatives who speak out about such serious issues

THE EPO has a huge (and growing) PR budget, putting aside all the money it spends 'buying' the media. It's truly despicable. It's obscene! Battistelli is breaking the piggybank and if external accounting professionals/experts were to visit the Office, who knows what they would find... Christoph Ernst might be in a position to know.

It is not paranoid and it is not unreasable to expect AstroTurfing. I have written about the subject for many years, usually in relation to Microsoft with its extensive network of PR agencies. That's just how this industry operates. Recall what the EPO's PR agency has already done for fracking companies, i.e. for those who pollute people's air, water, etc.

The judge whose 'trial' took place today (see our latest post for details) was thoroughly demonised by Dutch and German media just weeks after the EPO had signed the FTI Consulting contract (PR deal). They basically defamed him and he might sue. Later this week we shall show how the FTI Consulting arrangement was in fact secretly expanded, specifically in Germany and the Netherlands. They are trying to tame the media, not just plant puff pieces in it. Journalistic misconduct is small potatoes given some of the truly serious abuses that can be attributed to Battistelli and his gang. They hope to cover it all up or drown out the signal with noise (like EIA2016 puff pieces).

Over the past week, especially after IP Kat censorship backfired, we have noticed a rather sharp rise in the number silly and at times immature comments at IP Kat (we go through all the comments via RSS feeds). Responding to provocative comments that blame everything on SUEPO, here is what one person wrote about the demonisation of SUEPO, reinforcing the EPO management's characterisation of SUEPO as 'bullies' (see the bogus 'trial' against Hardon):

"Afraid of SUEPO's bullying"? Seriously? Nah. SUEPO were fairly clownish by union standards,and of course there were a couple of hotheads, but telling them to get lost was inconsequential.

However,and however irritating they could be, they still held the management to account, and it was the management's fault that they never really engaged with SUEPO.

But SUEPO, and especially some individuals within it, have stepped up to the plate and deserve respect for the way they have behaved in the face of BB's determined authoritarianism, nepotism,and dismantling of the EPO. And employees support them because of this stand,and the recognition that SUEPO is being targetted because they are tellingthe truth. No bullying required.

Given what SUEPO has gone through and the sheer abuse it has been subjected to (both individually and institutionally), all its leaders have been extremely restrained and kept their composure. To call them bullies is basically a case of projection. It's not hard to see that the bullies are Battistelli and the thugs who surround him. They have a long track record, not just in Eponia.

"To call them bullies is basically a case of projection. It's not hard to see that the bullies are Battistelli and the thugs who surround him."SUEPO does a terrific job looking after staff's interests and given the dodgy involvement by Wellkom in the OHSRA [1, 2, 3], it's not hard to see why SUEPO has grown weary and concerned about the motivations of Battistelli, especially after breaking German law to spy on staff and visitors.

The "EPO OHSRA," according to SUEPO, is "not what it should be" because it resorted to tracking of people who took the survey, it included questions about one's sex life (good subject for potential blackmail in the future), etc. Here is how SUEPO put it not too long ago:

The staff representation has for years been asking the administration to do an Occupational Health & Safety Risk Assessment (OHSRA) in order to provide the EPO with a rational basis for its Occupational Health Policy. The administration has until recently been dragging its feet, obviously not wanting to know what is wrong in the Office. A survey has now finally been done. But even if we kindly overlook the technical difficulties and the fact that the survey initially contained a series of tracking links, the questionnaire itself was surprising. For those who were invited to take part (and those who did not manage to get to the end of it) we reproduce the questions. There are surprisingly few questions about aspects of the working conditions that are likely to contribute to staff ill health in the EPO. Instead there are many questions about “life-style” and well-being, including five questions asking whether you spend a “significant” amount of money on health-related products, read wellness articles in the press, read health magazines, watch health-related television programs or use the internet to learn about wellness. There are also several very personal questions about issues that should not be of the employers concern such as whether you are satisfied with your family, with your physical appearance, and whether you have sexual problems. We wonder what our management will do with the answers. Offer after-work “well-being” courses and marriage counseling as a means to cope with the stress in the Office?

Notice how they might be trying to blame people's family for depression and/or health issues, just as they did when people committed suicide and the suicides were either (flabbergastingly) blamed on SUEPO or some external factor, until the brother of one victim told Bavarian television that the last straw was the EPO's Investigative Unit.

There are a couple of quoteworthy comments today in IP Kat and they appear to have come from the same person. Here it is with some minor spelling corrections:

The EPO was founded many years ago when there was still a sense of moral obligation and integrity even with politicians, managers and corporations. Being sincere and moral this is why those who founded the EPO could not conceive that this could/would change, because for that they would need to think in an immoral way. Now all those in charge of the EPO care about is how I can I keep my present position, how can I make myself look good and maybe even work my way up the ladder, with no respect for anyone but maybe their betters (at least butt-kiss in public). Any suffering is just collateral damage to the bigger cause. Those disadvantaged shouldn't take it personally. Facts are distorted by management saying that their intentions are good. But there is a saying; the way to hell is paved with good intentions. And that is exactly where the EPO is going.

The real issue is acquired rights. When examiners joined the EPO many years ago they signed a contract. They were given a Codex where the rights and obligations of both parties were fixed. For an examiner this meant working to examine patents with a 40 hr work week. In return for this the examiner was given a certain salary with incremental increases in pay being promised, at least within the grade. Promotion from A1 to A2 to A3 to A4 was not a right but could be expected with reasonable performance. If you performed very well you were promoted faster if you did very badly you could be blocked for promotion. This is the same in National systems. The reason for this is to try and keep officials happy with a good pay package so as not to be tempted to cede to corruption. With the new system the incremental steps have been unilaterally abolished without agreement with staff representation. The admin council agreed and as such is complicit. The new system pitches one examiner against another for production. Only the best get promoted. Although this sounds reasonable, it is not. There are ways to rig the system to make you look good. In effect promotion or a step increase is basically a bonus for being a high producer (considering quality is in the eye of the beholder). Look what bonuses did for the banking system. Is this really what the Admin Council want for the EPO? Also employees were forced on signing their contract to agree to a pay into the system of social security and invalidity, with the promise of certain rights. The EPO has unilaterally reduced or scrapped certain benefits, basically retroactively changing the contract, without agreement from the staff and without any compensation. At the same time they have changed the internal medical systems, which has even had the gall to question external doctors certificates. The office has given itself the right to check whether you are really sick. To this end during your whole period of illness you are obliged to stay at home at certain times (which can be counterproductive to improving health. But who cares.) The only reason that the EPO can do this is because management is not checked by the Admin Council. For whatever reason. The admin council lets itself be bamboozled by BB stating that they believe that this is legal, and then to go along with it. Does the admin council forget that there are nationals of their own countries working at the EPO, who as citizens of their respective countries are used to certain human rights which they are denied, by virtue of having joined an organization serving their respective countries by examining patents and protecting the European public from undeserved monopolies. And how are they rewarded? ...... Thank you very much Admin council. Please take your respective responsibility and do what is right and not what is in your own interest. Treat us as human beings and not cash cows.

If you have bothered to read this far thank you for your attention.

Disillusioned but stupidly still hopeful me

The bottom line is that the Administration Council must not fall for the illusion that SUEPO is the problem, that staff is aggressive, that depression is not the fault of the management and so on. These seem to be, potentially, PR tactics. Battistelli needs to be sacked this month, but it's not unthinkable that FTI Consulting would resort to AstroTurfing if not appalling puff pieces to convince delegates that everything is alright (this is why other people need to contact the delegates). That's the type of things these PR agents are paid millions of Euros (of EPO budget) for. Don't underestimate their behind-the-scenes impact. ⬆