News from the EPO - Strike Ballot comes out in favour of a strike

Merpel has been sunning herself again in the corridors of the EPO.  Readers may recall that just a few months ago the President of the European Patent Office refused a call for a ballot for a strike.  Well, there has been another call for a ballot, and this time the ballot was held.  Merpel understands that the results were announced last night, and has been informed that the results are as follows:

The total number of votes cast was 3553 (out of 6823 entitled to vote) representing 52% of the employees entitled to vote. The required quorum is 40%, so the quorum was therefore reached.

The result of the vote was as follows:

·        Votes in favour of a strike = 3032

·        Votes against a strike = 353

·        No opinion = 168

Thus 85% of the votes cast were in favour of a strike, so the result was overwhelmingly in favour of s strike.  This is only about six months after the last official strike at the EPO (industrial action took place in March and April 2014, are reported here, here and here).

 

The ballot took place in accordance with the EPO Strike Regulations, that have themselves been one of the issues in the industrial action.  They were reported by the IPKat here.  Notice of the actual timing of the strike still has to be given to the President of the EPO, at least 5 days before the strike.

 

In other news it has just been reported that the EPO has told unions (in particular SUEPO, the union in the German offices of the EPO) that they cannot use EPO premises on an ongoing basis, although meetings can continue to be held with permission and advance notice.

 

And on another related matter, it was first reported that staff representatives from the EPO were excluded from meetings of the Administrative Council for the first time, and then subsequently reported that the EPO had responded that representatives were not excluded as such, rather that the committee of staff representatives had not properly constituted itself.  The EPO spokesman was reported as saying:

 “Since July 1, the newly elected CSC (central staff committee) has not been able to appoint its chair, deputy chair or secretary, nor did the CSC nominate a delegation legitimated by its full members in spite of several meetings and reminders.”

He added: “There was then no appropriate way of knowing which persons should represent the CSC. As soon as they proceed with the nominations according to the rules, they will of course be entitled again to participate as observers to the AC.”

 

While the true facts are not always apparent, it is clear that the industrial unrest at the EPO is far from over, and the "Social Democracy" reforms of the President continue to provoke opposition.  Merpel hopes to return to this matter soon.