EPO staff in Battistelli fight
Staff at the European Patent Office (EPO) have told its supervisory body that they are struggling to work under, and have numerous concerns about, the office’s governance and president, WIPR can reveal.
In a document seen by WIPR, several grievances about president Benoît Battistelli and the overall management style at the Munich-based office are raised.
The concerns, outlined in a staff resolution submitted to the Administrative Council last week, pinpoint new strike regulations and changes to staff investigation guidelines, among other things.
Staff have also claimed that the “overall governance” structure has been weakened by the audit committee being abolished without the administrative council knowing, and that Battistelli has put a “previous collaborator” from the French Patent Office in the “key post” of external auditor.
The Administrative Council is one of the two organs of the European Patent Organisation, the other being the EPO. It acts as the EPO's supervisory body and is composed of representatives from EU member states.
Another letter sent to the organisation said social dialogue inside the office has “completely broken down”.
It added that the office’s central staff committee have turned to the administrative council for support with “re-establishing a proper balance” in governance and to restore a better working environment.
“Staff often refer to Battistelli's dictatorial management style,” an EPO worker told WIPR.
“People express disbelief that this can happen in the EPO. Forbidding strikes and dissolving the staff representation is strong stuff,” the worker added.
The resolution, which was passed with no abstentions, calls on the Administrative Council to “exercise its supervisory functions” in order to maintain legal standards.
Earlier this month, WIPR reported that staff were angry after they were denied what would have been their third strike in as many months.
In a letter sent to staff and seen by WIPR, Battistelli said the strike, planned for later this month, could not go ahead because it might “create confusion” at a time when new staff representatives were being elected.
The EPO was hit recently by seven days of strikes after staff, unhappy about various internal problems at the office, walked out on March 21, 24 and 25, and April 14, 15, 16 and 17.
The EPO had not commented at the time of publication.
