EPO staff union dismisses management ‘healing’ talks
The European Patent Office’s (EPO) staff union has criticised talks aimed at healing relations with management despite the office reportedly agreeing to implement a memorandum of understanding (MOU) signed by the two groups.
According to the EPO, a roundtable was held on Thursday (May 28) where it was agreed that an MOU will be drawn up in the “coming months”.
The meeting, the most recent in a series of planned discussions, was attended by the EPO’s president Benoît Battistelli, the chairman of the office’s supervisory body the Administrative Council (AC), Jesper Kongstad, and two staff unions.
“It was decided that the working group composed of representatives of the office and the trade unions will continue to work in the coming months in order to agree on a MOU, which will specify the modalities under which the trade unions will play their role in the EPO social dialogue,” the EPO said in a statement.
But in a follow-up statement, the Staff Union of the European Patent Office (SUEPO), one of the unions joining in the discussion, said that “neither Battistelli nor Kongstad is serious about recognising unions as social partners”.
“Sweet talk and communication spins cannot hide the truth, which is that their alleged overture towards unions is nothing but a disingenuous fig leaf to buy time and favour with the AC delegations.”
The two unions represented during the talks were SUEPO and the Fédération de la Fonction Publique Européenne (European Federation of Public Service), the latter being a union for staff in The Hague office.
Both unions and other staff members, unhappy with various governance issues at the office, have staged a series of protests and strikes against the AC and Battistelli over the last 12 months, which eventually prompted the discussions.
Among concerns raised by staff include changes to sick leave rules, barriers on union activities, and the AC’s decision to back a move by Battistelli that imposed a ‘house ban’ on an Enlarged Board of Appeal member.
Last month, it was also revealed that the EPO had reportedly hired external investigators to investigate elected staff representatives.
The EPO previously said that the talks could lead to the staff groups’ “formal recognition as trade unions at the office”.
But staff subsequently announced there would be another demonstration planned for later this month and that actions would continue to take place every month until grievances have been resolved.
The EPO has been contacted for comment on the outcome of the latest discussion but it had not responded at the time of publication.
