The last tri-partite meeting (Administrative Council/Office/Unions) on Union recognition took place on 28 May. Neither the Office nor the Administrative Council (AC) have given any indication that they intend to involve SUEPO in any form of serious collective bargaining.

The EPO also refuses to stop investigations against staff and union representatives launched during the talks on unions recognition.

More information can be found in the publication available here.

Ateliers Jean Nouvel has been chosen to design and construct the new EPO building in The Hague.

Mediapart, a French information website edited by former journalists of Le Monde, has recently published an article (printable version) on the severe problems of the Philharmonie de Paris designed by this same architect.Translations in English and German can be found by scrolling through the document.

The Süddeutsche Zeitung also reported on the difficulties of Jean Nouvel.

SUEPO understands that the company Control Risks has been commissioned by the EPO to investigate staff members who are elected representatives of the Staff Committee and/or Staff Union.The following articles report on the activities of this company:

• Spiegel Online, The Dark Side of Power: German Corporate Spying Scandal Widens
• Spiegel Online, Attack on Customer Data: Lufthansa Admits Spying on Journalist
• The Guardian, Watching the detectives
• Financial Times, From guard dogs and fences to business intelligence

A summary can be found here.

SUEPO sent an open letter to the company Control Risks which we understand has been commissioned by the EPO to investigate staff members who are elected representatives of the Staff Committee and/or Staff Union.

We have now received a reply from Nick Allan, Regional Director (Europe & Africa).

The EPO has issued a communiqué confirming the use of external investigation firms. A copy of the communiqué and comments can be found on IPKat:

"The "best international standards" followed by the Investigative Unit don't include allowing the employee to be represented by a lawyer. Perhaps readers think that "lawyering up" at an early stage is an over-reaction, but consider that the employee may face dismissal without any of the safeguards of labour law available in the EU or other member states. The targets of investigation are severely restricted from even disclosing that they are being investigated, and apparently have an active duty to cooperate, so no "right to silence"; and the Investigative Unit (and by extension, Control Risks) has the power to invade the privacy of the subject to an extent that would cause uproar if it happened in a national patent office or in any private enterprise operating within the EU."

IPKat comments on the information that the EPO has commissioned the company Control Risks to investigate elected representatives of the Staff Committee and/or Staff Union.Control Risks describes itself as "an independent, global risk consultancy specialising in helping organisations manage political, integrity and security risks in complex and hostile environments".

IPKat considers that this "completely undermines any attempt at social dialogue, or moves towards union recognition. How are EPO employees to be expected to serve on the Central Staff Committee, or to represent the EPO unions, if at the same time they are to be harassed and investigated, apparently for performing this very service?"

SUEPO understands that the company Control Risks has been commissioned by the European Patent Office to investigate staff members who are elected representatives of the Staff Committee and/or Staff Union.

An open letter sent to the company can be found here.

The reform of sick leave and invalidity constitutes another severe attack on both dignity and fundamental rights of EPO staff.

Explanations can be found in the publication available here.

After the first tripartite (AC/Office/Unions) meeting on 22 April where all parties expressed a cautious optimism that such engagement should lead to an improved social climate, a special Working Group (WG) was established to look into the particular issue of formal union recognition.

A report on the meeting can be found here.

In its 119th session the Tribunal delivered a total of 77 judgments, of which 24 cases involving the EPO. Of the 24 EPO cases, only one case was won by the complainant. The remaining 23 cases were dismissed, 13 summarily.

This paper discusses the cases that have broader relevance and the overall implications.