WIPO: Rise In Retirement Age Delayed 2 Years; LGBT Workers Get Protection

The World Intellectual Property Organization will increase the retirement age to 65 for all workers starting in 2020, one year earlier than it had proposed but still a delay aimed at freeing up some job posts through earlier retirements.

The decision came today behind closed doors in the Coordination Committee, as part of the 2-11 October annual WIPO General Assemblies.

The proposal for three years would have gained WIPO some 50 needed translator posts for in-demand Chinese and Korean language, especially under the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT), sources had said (IPW, WIPO, 11 October 2017). A compromise was reached in which the age increase was delayed for two years.

The agreed text on retirement age is available here [pdf].

On another issue, the WIPO Human Resources Strategy went into effect, seemingly without member states having to take note as originally indicated (IPW, WIPO, 11 October 2017). Some members had indicated concern with a provision in the strategy ensuring equal treatment for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender (LGBT) employees.