EPO management allege ‘malicious personal attacks’ from staff
Managers at the European Patent Office (EPO) have written to all staff members to criticise their representatives for “serious incidents” and “malicious personal attacks” on management during a recent meeting.
In an open letter, dated March 3, members of the management team said they had “no other choice” than to inform staff about the “misbehaviours” of their representatives.
The letter has been signed by ten members of the office’s management, including vice-presidents and principal directors. The EPO’s president, Benoît Battistelli, is not one of the co-signees.
The general consultative committee (GCC) meeting, held on February 27, was apparently convened to discuss amendments to sick leave and staff welfare provisions at the office.
In the letter, called ‘Open letter from the representatives of the management during the GCC on 27.02.2015’, the managers alleged that there was “serious obstruction” to the consultative process.
According to the letter, staff representatives came to the meeting in reduced numbers to “pretend that the consultation was flawed” and to request its postponement.
The management said in the letter: “Elected members from The Hague threatened to leave the room if the meeting was not postponed, but they finally stayed. Only after one hour 30 minutes of procedural debates, the discussions on the main purpose of the meeting could really start.”
Management further alleged that a staff representative presented a list of staff concerns about the reforms to the meeting, but that when the principal directors for human resources and legal services began to address the points, other staff representatives “violently disrupted” the debate with “shouts, protests, cries and insulting comments”.
The management added that such “misbehaviour and personal attacks are an affront to the dignity of the representatives of the management”, who are also members of the EPO staff, which “cannot be ignored.
“Remaining silent would be tantamount to condoning this as acceptable,” the management said.
“Repeated and malicious personal attacks on other staff members regarding their professional competence, sleights against their intentions and even direct attacks as to their integrity are unacceptable,” the management said.
They added that such “misconducts and repetitive violations of the minimal and basic principles to be respected by any international civil servant constitute a clear abuse of the freedom of speech which is granted to the staff representatives, with the purpose of defending the interests of the staff”.
The EPO did not respond to a request for comment.
A spokesperson for SUEPO, the staff union said: "We understand that the staff committee members are not allowed to comment publicly on positions taken by Mr Battistelli."
