Bonum Certa Men Certa

Almost Half of Vienna-based EPO Staff Went on Strike This Past Week

First time in several years

A photo from EPO Vienna



Summary: A report on participation in the latest EPO strike, which is the first strike in years; it's abundantly clear that in spite of many barriers (making it harder to go on strike) and risks associated with unemployment in these difficult times, as many as 1,448 employees have chosen to take direct action

THE unique situation Viennese EPO staff (or EPO staff based/stationed in Vienna) is in was mentioned here last month. The cuts are being implemented by António Campinos, who barely replaces departing/retiring staff. It is therefore not surprising that despite the risks (of reprisal) almost half of EPO staff there was on strike on December 15th.



"We've taken note of the fact that media across Europe did not mention this strike, despite it affecting Europe's second-largest institution.""On 15 December 2020," the Central Staff Committee wrote, "according to the figures published by the Administration and despite strike registration being difficult for managers, 1.448 employees representing 22,6% of all staff participated in the strike. It is the highest result of an industrial action since 2016 and a clear signal to the President that there is room for improvement in terms of social peace."

Here is the full letter:

Munich, 18.12.2020 sc20191cp – 0.2.1/0.3.2

2020, a striking year



Thanking you for your support

Dear colleagues,

Over the year 2020, EPO staff has shown to be resilient. The on-going Covid-19 pandemic has changed our work and our family life. EPO staff worked well and deserve to be thanked for going above and beyond in their efforts this year.

The participation in the General Assemblies on the 19th November (ca. 2000 attendees combined from Munich and The Hague) and the numerous Virtual Floor Meetings (ca. 2100 attendees overall) showed the desire of staff to gather again in live events and their interest in what is going on in the Office. We called on you to make your views on the recent reforms known in emails to the President and VP4, and you answered. We found your words stirring and felt it necessary to move forward with additional actions.

The decision to call for strike did not come easily because staff have already given a lot this year to maintain business continuity and to meet their ever-increasing objectives. However, the reluctance of management to acknowledge any discontent at the EPO forced us to resort to strike as a means of last resort.

On 15 December 2020, according to the published figures and despite strike registration being difficult for managers, 1.448 employees representing 22,6% of all staff participated in the strike, including 28% of staff in The Hague, 17% of staff in Munich, 39% of staff in Berlin, and 46% of staff in Vienna. It is the highest result of an industrial action since 2016 and a clear signal to the President that there is room for improvement in terms of social peace.

We asked you to support us and many of you supported us. We thank all those who participated in the proposed actions.

In his season’s greetings, Mr Campinos announced his decision to offer one week of additional holidays for the first week 2021, and for that we thank him. We are now looking forward to next year to tackle with him the concerns of staff thanks to the strong mandate you gave us.

Since this might be the last publication of your staff representatives this year, we take the opportunity to wish you all a relaxing break and a happy new year!

Sincerely yours,

Your Central Staff Committee



Readers are asked to remember that many of these employees are working from home; this further complicates a classic strike action. Office management was quick to exploit the pandemic to stifle the previously planned strike action, which coincided with lock-downs across Europe.

EPO Vienna"We are now looking forward to next year to tackle with the President the concerns of staff thanks to the strong mandate you gave us," the representatives concluded. "In the meantime, we take the opportunity to wish you all a relaxing break and a happy new year!"

We've taken note of the fact that media across Europe did not mention this strike, despite it affecting Europe's second-largest institution. It did, however, publish a bunch of reputation-laundering fluff for Office management.

Recent Techrights' Posts

Microsoft-Connected Sites Trying to Shift Attention Away From Microsoft's Megabreach Only Days Before Important If Not Unprecedented Grilling by the US Government?
Why does the mainstream media not entertain the possibility a lot of these talking points are directed out of Redmond?
Firefox Has Fallen to 2% in New Zealand
At around 2%, at least in the US (2% or below this threshold), there's no longer an obligation to test sites for any Gecko-based browser
 
Microsoft and Its Vicious Attack Dogs (Attacking Women or Wives in Particular)
Sad, pathetic, destructive people
Upcoming Series About the Campaign to 'Disappear' the Father of GNU/Linux
Today we have Julian Assange's fate to focus on
A Month From Now Gemini Protocol Turns 5
June 20
Colombia: From Less Than 0.5% to Nearly 4% for GNU/Linux
it's not limited to this one country
Rumour: Well Overdue Red Hat Layoffs to be Announced in About 3 Days
we know they've planned the layoffs for a while
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Sunday, May 19, 2024
IRC logs for Sunday, May 19, 2024
Gemini Links 20/05/2024: Updated Noto Fontpacks and gemfeed2atom
Links for the day
GNU/Linux in Georgia: Looking Good
Windows down from 99% to less than 33%
Tomorrow is a Historic Day for Press Freedom in the UK
Take note of the Julian Assange case
Hiding in a Forest Without a Phone and Hiding Behind the First Amendment in the United States (US)
some serial defamer is trying to invert the narrative
Links 19/05/2024: Iran's President Lost in Helicopter Crash, WikiLeaks’ Julian Assange Awaits Decisions in Less Than a Day
Links for the day
Links 19/05/2024: Microsoft Investigated in Europe
Links for the day
4 Old Articles About Microsoft/IBM SystemD
old but still relevant
Winning Streak
Free software prevalence
Links 19/05/2024: Conflicts, The Press, and Spotify Lawsuit
Links for the day
GNU/Linux+ChromeOS at Over 7% in New Zealand
It's also the home of several prominent GNU/Linux advocates
libera.chat (Libera Chat) Turns 3 Today
Freenode in the meantime continues to disintegrate
[Teaser] Freenode NDA Expires in a Few Weeks (What Really Happened 3 Years Ago)
get ready
GNU/Linux is Already Mainstream, But Microsoft is Still Trying to Sabotage That With Illegal Activities and Malicious Campaigns of Lies
To help GNU/Linux grow we'll need to tackle tough issues and recognise Microsoft is a vicious obstacle
Slovenia's Adoption of GNU/Linux in 2024
Whatever the factor/s may be, if these figures are true, then it's something to keep an eye on in the future
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Saturday, May 18, 2024
IRC logs for Saturday, May 18, 2024
Links 19/05/2024: Profectus Beta 1.2
Links for the day
Site Archives (Not WordPress)
We've finally finished the work
[Meme] The EPO Delusion
on New Ways of Working
EPO Representatives Outline Latest Attacks on Staff
Not much has happened recently in terms of industrial action
Links 18/05/2024: Revisiting the Harms of Patent Trolls, Google Tries to Bypass (or Plagiarise) Sites Under the Guise of "AI"
Links for the day
Links 18/05/2024: BASIC Story, Site Feeds, and New in Geminispace
Links for the day
GNU/Linux in Kyrgyzstan: From 0.5% to 5% in Eight Years
the country is almost the size of the UK
Justice for Victims of Online Abuse
The claims asserted or pushed forth by the harasser are categorically denied
[Meme] Senior Software Engineer for Windows
This is becoming like another Novell
Links 18/05/2024: Deterioration of the Net, North Korean IT Workers in the US
Links for the day
Windows in Lebanon: Down to 12%?
latest from statCounter
[Video] 'Late Stage Capitalism': Microsoft as an Elaborate Ponzi Scheme (Faking 'Demand' While Portraying the Fraud as an Act of Generosity and Demanding Bailouts)
Being able to express or explain the facts isn't easy because of the buzzwords
Links 18/05/2024: Caledonia Emergency Powers, "UK Prosecutor's Office Went Too Far in the Assange Case"
Links for the day
Microsoft ("a Dying Megacorporation that Does Not Create") and IBM: An Era of Dying Giants With Leadership Deficits and Corporate Bailouts (Subsidies From Taxpayers)
Microsoft seems to be resorting to lots of bribes and chasing of bailouts (i.e. money from taxpayers worldwide)
US Patent and Trademark Office Sends Out a Warning to People Who Do Not Use Microsoft's Proprietary Formats
They're punishing people who wish to use open formats
Links 18/05/2024: Fury in Microsoft Over Studio Shutdowns, More Gaming Layoffs
Links for the day
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Friday, May 17, 2024
IRC logs for Friday, May 17, 2024
Links 18/05/2024: KOReader, Benben v0.5.0 Progress Update, and More
Links for the day