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20 October 2017Patents

SUEPO offers olive branch to EPO management

A staff union at the European Patent Office (EPO) has written to António Campinos, the next president of the organisation, saying his appointment shows a desire to re-establish harmonious conditions with management.

The letter, from the Staff Union of the European Patent Office's (SUEPO) Hague branch, was sent to all members of what is SUEPO’s second biggest unit. The Hague committee said it is “ready to embark on a road to fruitful cooperation”.

WIPR reported earlier this month that Campinos, who is head of the European Union Intellectual Property Office, has been chosen to replace current EPO president Benoît Battistelli in July 2018.

During Battistelli’s reign internal tensions between staff and management have boiled over, with demonstrations and strikes taking place over the past few years.

In reference to these problems, SUEPO The Hague said Campinos will inherit a problematic legacy, including “management by fear, isolation and punishment championed by the current higher management”.

It added there is “a culture of arbitrariness and repression, targeting not only outspoken union leaders, but also the most vulnerable members of staff: the old and the sick. They are now branded by the appraisal system as ‘lazy’ or ‘incompetent’ and placed on a fast-track for dismissal”.

SUEPO The Hague said that it must re-establish a social dialogue that is shaped by trust and cooperation between staff, management and the Administrative Council.

“We assure Mr Campinos that SUEPO, as the largest staff union within the EPO, wishes to take part in this process with a constructive attitude if there is a willingness on his side to create propitious premises. We propose bringing in an external expert and moderator, who may help to leave the previous path of arbitrariness and repression.”

Campinos’s appointment was largely welcomed by lawyers speaking to WIPR, with one saying that he arrives with a good track-record from the EUIPO, “albeit against a significantly different work type”, but that staff morale will need boosting.

The EPO declined to comment on the claims set out in that letter.

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