Dear colleagues,

The organizers of the IFLRE initiative have recently requested the Central Staff Committee to forward to the President a letter calling for strikes even though the President refused to organize a ballot in accordance with Circular 347. The organizers did not sign the letter individually. Understandably, they wish to remain anonymous, to be protected from any possible management retaliation.

The President has sent to the Chairman of the CSC his position on the matter (now also made available to staff in Communiqué 42 in the Intranet). The CSC invites you to read it carefully.

We take note of the threats which the President makes towards staff and towards the CSC. We also note that the President remains unwilling to follow the EPO regulations, even those he recently imposed upon staff, and which have contributed to deteriorate the social atmosphere at the EPO.

We are greatly concerned about the President's and the higher echelons of DG4's propensity for an autocratic and repressive approach to human resource management.

Therefore, in the current circumstances we advise staff not to take unnecessary risks and make themselves too easy a target for repressive management.

The lawfulness of the recently introduced strike regulations and of their consequences for staff should soon be clarified: legal actions in front of national courts are pending in Germany and The Netherlands, and the President might have to change his position soon (the decision of the Dutch judge should be available early January 2014).

The number of Administrative Council Delegations considering that Mr Battistelli is becoming a liability for the Organisation is increasing. The President's behaviour is not only dangerous for the EPO staff but is also putting the reputation of the Organisation at risks.

The CSC makes a point of keeping the Delegations well informed of what is happening in the Office.

The Central Staff Committee