A fifth of EPO staff walk out, figures reveal

More than 20% of the overall workforce at the European Patent Office (EPO) has gone on strike on each of the last two days as part of a five-week demonstration.

Staff walked out yesterday (November 26) and on Tuesday (November 25), while there was also a one-day strike held last week (November 20).

According to the EPO’s official website, 1,455 of the office’s 6,800 staff walked out yesterday, representing 21% of the workforce. On Tuesday, 1,580 workers (22.8% of staff) took part in action.

More than 2,500 staff—around 36% of the workforce—walked out on the first day of the strikes last week, where there was also a march to “show solidarity” for a suspended French worker who formerly sat on the staff disputes committee.

There will be three more strikes in December, starting with a three-day strike next week, a four-day strike the week after and a week-long strike from December 15 to 19.

Workers, who have staged two previous strikes since March, are understood to be concerned about changes at the office including an alleged abolition of new staff investigation guidelines and a cap on union related activity.

They are calling for more freedom of communication for the unions and other staff members.

Last week, WIPR reported that the office’s central staff committee had written to EPO president Benoît Battistelli and suggested that mediation could be an effective way of resolving the continuing disputes.

In a statement, the EPO said it regrets the “unnecessary disturbance” caused by the striking.

The EPO added that it would implement “all measures” to ensure the normal functioning of the office and that services to users remain unaffected.