EPO staff reveal strike dates
A strike running over a five week-period at the European Patent Office (EPO) will begin next week, WIPR can reveal.
Some staff members at all three EPO sites—Munich, Berlin and The Hague—will walk out in what has been dubbed an “incremental” strike.
It will start on Thursday, November 20, with a one-day strike. For the four weeks thereafter, the days of the week spent striking will increase by one, culminating in a full week’s strike in the week beginning December 15.
A full list of strike days is below.
WIPR reported yesterday (November 12) that staff had voted on a number of options for the latest strike, with the five-week split strike proving the most popular.
There have been two strikes at the office since March.
Workers are understood to be concerned about changes at the office, including an alleged abolition of new staff investigation guidelines, and are calling for more freedom of communication for unions and other staff members.
There are also concerns about apparent changes to strike regulations, and alterations to starting salaries and career prospects. The alleged recent suspension of a former worker who sat on a panel hearing staff disputes has also angered some of the office’s workforce.
In a document outlining the terms of the strike that was sent to EPO president Benoît Battistelli, the central staff committee said it “has always been prepared” to enter into a fair social dialogue and, if progress is made, could terminate the strike actions.
The EPO did not respond immediately to a request for comment.
Strike dates:
Thursday, November 20.
Tuesday, November 25 and Wednesday, November 26.
Tuesday, December 2; Wednesday, December 3; and Thursday, December 4.
Monday, December 8; Tuesday, December 9; Wednesday, December 10; and Thursday, December 11.
Monday, December 15; Tuesday, December 16; Wednesday, December 17; Thursday, December 18; and Friday, December 19.
Already registered?
Login to your account
If you don't have a login or your access has expired, you will need to purchase a subscription to gain access to this article, including all our online content.
For more information on individual annual subscriptions for full paid access and corporate subscription options please contact us.
To request a FREE 2-week trial subscription, please signup.
NOTE - this can take up to 48hrs to be approved.
For multi-user price options, or to check if your company has an existing subscription that we can add you to for FREE, please email Adrian Tapping at atapping@newtonmedia.co.uk