Dead-End Careers at the European Patent Office (EPO), Where Headcount Decreases and Rewards Continue to Decrease (Relative to Inflation) in 2024
The number of monopolies goes up, but those who approve these monopolies are not benefiting, they're just being used
THREE days ago we showed documents about budget disparities at the EPO or staff being shortchanged by Benoît Battistelli's butler, António Campinos. It is like they deliberately try to drive out experienced (veteran) patent examiners. This would necessarily result in patent quality demise/exacerbation (applicants are noticing and protesting this.
A couple of publications from last month illuminate this issue; one is a follow-up, updating the original with an "addendum". Even (partly) a correction.
We'll start with the seminal/original, dated December 7th. "Hundreds of colleagues have been “left behind”", it says, "and their career progression has been practically frozen, causing a huge negative impact on their salaries and pensions."
The addendum, which is dated 11 days later, says this: "In the past, Mr Campinos has systematically reduced at this later stage the envelope to be spent compared to the one of the Council (see here in 2023 and here for 2022) and has never exhausted his own budget. It is therefore still not known yet, whether the Office will spend more in steps and promotions in 2024 compared to 2023."
False promises and deceit are longstanding issues at the Office.
Here are the messages sent to staff.
Dear colleagues,
The Communiqué of 27 October 2023 announces three rounds of reward exercise including two for bonus(es) in July and December 2024.
However, the Office silenced that the draft budget document for 2024 reveals a drastic reduction of the planned budget envelope for steps and promotions compared to the former year amounting to a sharp decrease of -36%.
In this context, the budget envelope is clearly insufficient to reach the already too low ceiling of 60% for steps and promotions among eligible staff. The stronger focus on bonus(es) is made at the expense of steps and promotions.
Management explained in the GCC meeting of 5 December 2023 that “career development should not be seen as changing step or grade but as moving to different tasks” (sic!). Management even considered that its performance development policies were fully “backed up by jurisprudence from the Tribunal”.
End of 2023, staff is striving to reach their targets. In 2024, staff will be faced with unattainable objectives and is pressured not to take statutory leave to increase capacity. In return, management is showing no will to reward and motivate staff with the career progression they deserve.
How can management expect more staff engagement in SP2028 and “sense of belonging” under such circumstances?
[...]
The Central Staff Committee - CSC
Note: An addendum to this announcement has been published. We regret the confusion and inconvenience caused by this publication.
[...]
Dear colleagues,
Since our publication of 7 December 2023, management has brought clarification concerning the presentation of the envelope for steps and promotions in budget documents.
The evolution of the budget envelope should be made by comparing the full year equivalents and hence € 14,380 mil for 2023 vs € 15,200 mil for 2024. The budget envelope proposed in the Council is increased by +5.7%.
The changes to the budget presentation and to the payment of steps and promotions are explained in this paper. We regret the confusion and inconvenience caused by the former publication.
Once the Administrative Council has approved the budget in CA/D 1/23, the President shall submit his Guidelines for Rewards. In the past, Mr Campinos has systematically reduced at this later stage the envelope to be spent compared to the one of the Council (see here in 2023 and here for 2022) and has never exhausted his own budget. It is therefore still not known yet, whether the Office will spend more in steps and promotions in 2024 compared to 2023.
Sincerely yours,
The Central Staff Committee – CSC
We've kept the corresponding publications as PDF files since they contain tables and colours. They're not simple to map onto GemText.
Later this week we'll show how the EPO gives "marching orders" to examiners with experience; it is not like the Office is overstaffed. Au contraire. █
“Greed is so destructive. It destroys everything.”
--Eartha Kitt