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● 12.10.20

●● EPO Staff Already Knew Months After António Campinos Had Been Parachuted Into the Office That He Was a ‘Budget Butcher’

Posted in Europe, Patents at 2:11 am by Dr. Roy Schestowitz

Executor of the Battistelli plan; shadowy scammer for ‘shadow budget’ (grift)

Summary: The sole purpose of António Campinos seems to be destroying the whole financial basis of the EPO (amassing wealth for gambling purposes while taking away wealth from the staff), very much contrary to the EPC — and all along lying to staff about it!

TWO years ago the Central Staff Committee (CSC) of the EPO met with António Campinos and issued this “report of the 121st BFC,” (Budget and Finance Committee) presented to staff as follows:

=> ↺ EPO | ↺ António Campinos

In October, for the first time in years, your staff representatives had a short “pre-meeting” before the latest meeting of the Budget and Finance Committee (BFC) with the President of the Office to discuss items on the agenda of this BFC meeting as well as other matters of interest. Again, we can report that the President allowed open and frank discussions. The concerns we raised were noted but did not, however, lead to concrete changes.

On the agenda of the BFC meeting were two items of particular interest for staff: - Transfer of funds into the Pension Schemes; - Budget implementation in 2018; Draft budget 2019 and forecast 2020-2023.

Our proposals - For a fair distribution of the injection into the SSP in particular of interest for staff rather at the beginning of their career and - For increasing the foreseen rewards budget in 2019 to allow for at least partial compensation for the non-rewards in the past rewards exercises.

were not yet taken on-board.

This BFC meeting was a transitional one, building on the legacy of the previous Administration, waiting for the definition of new strategic orientations by Mr Campinos.

Here’s the full report [PDF], also as images:

=> ↺ full report

“…Campinos came to the Office only to chop it down, outsource it, crush/rob workers — all based on fabrications and lies.”Much of this report deals with financing issues, including pensions. To the general public this may not mean very much, but it does matter to staff and it affects the quality of examiners the Office is capable of recruiting.

As the staff found out only months later, Campinos came to the Office only to chop it down, outsource it, crush/rob workers — all based on fabrications and lies.

Several months later the CSC wrote about “[i]ntentions concerning a pension reform,” noting that the plan of Campinos was very bad indeed. To quote the CSC:

In the recent Communiqué on a MAC meeting dated 15 March 2019 it is stated that “(W)hile we have already increased our operational and financial performance over recent years, the issue of financial sustainability is ongoing. We are now aiming to manage these questions based on a solid plan to address our liabilities for the years to come and so these questions do not have to be revisited in the near future.”

Staff understands the above sentences as an indication that the Office is now considering imminent and strong cuts in the pension system. This comes as a surprise, since none of the topics on the President’s yearly work program with the Staff Committee for 2019 concerns the pensions.

To avoid further unrest spreading among staff we request the President to disclose now any detailed plans and timetable with respect to a potential pension reform.

We and EPO staff as a whole look forward to urgent clarifications by the President on this sensitive matter.

The full letter is reproduced below:

Reference: sc19046cl- 0.3.1/4.2.2 Date: 22.03.2019

Mr António Campinos President of the EPO

ISAR – Room 1081

Open letter

Your intentions concerning a pension reform

Dear Mr President,

In a Communiqué on a MAC meeting dated 15 March 2019, you inform staff that “(T)he The MAC received updates on the progress of the preparation of both the Financial Study and the Staff Survey report”.

We regret that the Central Staff Committee (CSC) has neither been involved in the financial study nor has it received any update on the staff survey or the financial study.

You state that “(W)hile we have already increased our operational and financial performance over recent years, the issue of financial sustainability is ongoing. We are now aiming to manage these questions based on a solid plan to address our liabilities for the years to come and so these questions do not have to be revisited in the near future.”

Irrespective of the fact that we strongly disagree with you over the existence of a long term liability issue1, staff understands the above sentences as an indication that the Office is now considering imminent and strong cuts in the pension system2. This comes as a surprise, since none of the topics on the yearly work program with the Staff Committee you have defined for 2019 concerns the pensions.

____1 For instance the Office fulfils today the recommendations for long term sustainability of the last financial study (Deloitte 2016; Base Case 100 PpH).2 The wildest rumours are currently circulating, including about the unilateral removal of the tax adjustment for colleagues under the Old Pension System.

To avoid panic spreading among staff approaching or above 50 already contemplating going on (early) pension, we think it would be fair that you disclose now your detailed plans and timetable with respect to your idea of a pension reform. More specifically should you aim at having the Administrative Council (AC) support before the end of the year 2019 a pension reform taking effect as from 1 January 2020, many colleagues may decide to leave the Office before the end of 2019, which implies that they should inform the Office accordingly 6 months in advance3, i.e. before 31 May 2019.

We consider it is your duty to inform staff in writing directly and swiftly, e.g. through an Intranet announcement, of your true intentions with respect to pension changes.

Staff must get clarity and/or be reassured as a matter of urgency on the following points:

• Do you intend to involve the Staff Representation in the pension reform? If yes when? - When do you plan to have the Administrative Council deciding on changes to the existing pension system and when will it take effect? - Do you intend to respect acquired rights of staff (knowing that you have declared several times to different audiences that you “do not like acquired rights”)? - Which transition measures, if any, do you have in mind, also regarding early pensions?

With the current level of distrust in your administration, the lack of a swift and precise answer to this letter will be – no doubt – interpreted by staff as an intention to harm them by surprise.

A pension reform devised behind closed doors and imposed on staff without meaningful consultation of the Staff Committee would inevitably lead to further demotivation among staff, to increased litigation and social unrest. It should be avoided in the interest of the Office and Staff.

We and EPO staff as a whole look forward to your urgent clarifications on this sensitive matter.

Yours sincerely,

Chairman of the Central Staff Committee

_____3 Cf. article 54(2) ServRegs.

So at that stage, just 9 months or so after arriving at the Office (as an outsider), people could already ‘sniff out’ his agenda. He didn’t come to rescue the Office but to carry on destroying it whole destroying the lives of workers (some of whom had already spent decades working there). █

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