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Photo: Courtesy of EPO
28 May 2014Patents

EPO facing more strike action

Further strike action has been planned at the headquarters of the European Patent Office (EPO) as unrest among workers continues to grow.

It is thought staff in Munich could stage a three-day walkout next month, which would be the third round of strikes in as many months.

The main concerns centre on: leadership and EPO president Benoît Battistelli, changes to the office’s disciplinary committee, and a lack of recognition of unions.

The EPO was recently hit 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.

EPO spokesman Oswald Schröder confirmed to WIPR that workers were planning another strike but that there are several procedures to go through before it can be confirmed.

In order to go ahead with strike action, at least 40 percent of staff are required to vote on whether or not to take action, and at least 50 percent of those must vote in favour of it.

Whether this threshold has been met will need to be checked by the EPO’s administrative staff before any action is confirmed, Schröder added.

At the most recent strike, more than 4,000 of the office’s 6,000 workers voted on the proposed strike, with around 90 percent subsequently voting in favour of taking action.

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