EPO demo attracts ‘close to 1,000’ workers
Nearly 1,000 workers held a demonstration at the European Patent Office (EPO) this week, staff members have claimed.
The protest, on Wednesday (March 25), took place in front of the office’s Isar building in Munich at 12.30pm local time.
According to a worker, around 900 to 1,000 people attended the demonstration, the third protest since the turn of the year.
The previous two demonstrations were held to protest against the British and Danish representatives on the EPO’s supervisory body, the Administrative Council (AC), which is comprised of representatives from each EPO member state.
The latest demonstration was aimed at the German delegation on the AC.
Certain staff members are unhappy at various governance issues at the office and have previously staged protests against the office's president Benoît Battistelli and the AC.
A source said: “We are now waiting for a move from the side of the AC. There is talk about trilateral talks between the president, the AC and staff representation, but given that the AC has always backed up the president I don't think that would be a great help.”
The EPO did not respond to a request for comment.
