The legislature yesterday voted to uphold measures it previously passed aimed at raising pensions for police officers, firefighters and other law enforcement and emergency services workers, rejecting the Cabinet’s bid to overturn the legislation.
Lawmakers from the opposition Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and the smaller Taiwan People’s Party (TPP), who have a combined majority in the legislature, once again endorsed the amendments to the Police Personnel Management Act (警察人員人事條例) that they passed in January.
The vote passed 62 to 50 with one abstention, breaking along party lines in the 113-seat legislature.
Photo: CNA
Following yesterday’s vote, the bill now awaits President William Lai (賴清德) to sign it into law.
The Cabinet had requested a revote earlier this month, saying that the amendments could jeopardize the financial stability of the public service pension system, undermine fairness and potentially affect the rights of active and retired civil servants.
Among the revisions is a provision that raises the income replacement rate for retired police officers, firefighters, immigration officials, Coast Guard Administration personnel and members of the National Airborne Service Corps to as much as 80 percent.
The new 80 percent income replacement rate surpasses the previous 75 percent cap that retired civil servants were eligible for before the 2017 pension reforms introduced by former president Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文), and would apply retroactively to all retirees in the affected occupations.
Currently, law enforcement and emergency services personnel share the same pension scheme as other civil servants, with the replacement rate gradually declining toward 60 percent by 2029; it currently stands at 66 percent.
The Ministry of Civil Service has warned that the proposed changes would further strain the already underfunded pension system, which is already strained by decreased revenues.
The system is projected to face a NT$170 billion (US$5.2 billion) shortfall over the next 50 years — a financial burden that would ultimately be shouldered by taxpayers, the ministry said in January.
However, opposition lawmakers have said that pension benefits for law enforcement and emergency services personnel should be brought in line with those of military personnel, citing the high-pressure nature of their work, the elevated risks, and the demands of long and rotating shifts.
TPP Legislator Chang Chi-kai (張啟楷) ahead of the revote said that the high-risk nature of police and firefighting work contributes to a life expectancy that is on average five to 10 years shorter than that of the general population.
Chang accused the DPP government of failing to acknowledge the hard work and dedication of police officers and firefighters.
Yesterday’s vote is the Cabinet’s sixth failed attempt to reject legislation which it had opposed after being passed by the opposition-led legislature over the past 10 months.
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