Patent Office workers protest against sackings

(November 2016) Employees at the European Patent Office (EPO) in The Hague organised a march on 24 November in protest against further anti-union action by the EPO's President Benoit Battistelli. The staff union SUEPO organised a protest against Battistelli early in 2016 after he sacked union representatives and the latest incident involves the dismissal of Laurent Prunier, elected member of the Central Staff Committee and Secretary of SUEPO. The union received the support of the Dutch confederation FNV and the matter will also be discussed in the Dutch parliament.

Members of the SUEPO trade union at the European Patent Office (EPO) have voted for industrial action, including a “work to rule”, “go slow” and a strike on 22 March. The union is calling for the restoration of fundamental rights at the EPO and the suspension or reversal of major reforms that have been detrimental to working conditions and wellbeing of staff. There have been longstanding problems with asserting trade union rights at the EPO with a former director intervening in the trade union’s internal affairs and blocking the right to strike. The International Labour Organisation has ruled