EPO offers strike reassurance
The European Patent Office (EPO) has dismissed the potential damage of an intermittent five-week strike.
In a statement, the EPO said the strike, taking place at its three main offices in Munich, Berlin and The Hague, will not impact the running of the office and that it would be “functioning normally” throughout.
Last week, WIPR reported that staff had agreed to carry out a strike across five weeks. Staff walked out last Thursday, November 20, and this week will strike on Tuesday, November 25 and Wednesday, November 26.
There will also be three more strikes in December increasing by one day each week and culminating in a week-long strike from December 15-19.
The EPO said it was “aware” that communication “directly addressed to patent attorneys” had been made about strike actions that had been called for by a “minority” of employees.
It added: “Attorneys and parties to oral proceedings at the EPO should be assured that all necessary measures have been put in place to ensure that oral proceedings which have been convoked for the potentially affected days will take place as planned.”
Last week, WIPR reported that the EPO’s Central Staff Committee had requested a mediation session with the office’s President Benoît Battistelli in an attempt to heal relations.
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