180,000 Retired Civil Servants Rejoice! Military, Civil, and Educator Pension Discrepancy Payments Arrive — Li Lai-hsi: 'Receiving Tens of Thousands Is the Fruit of Our Shared Struggle'

After the Legislative Yuan passed a bill in late last year to halt the reduction of public servant pensions, new developments have emerged from the disbursement side. Li Lai-hsi, former chairman of the National Civil Servants Association, announced on his social media that the back payments for the pension discrepancies from January to July were officially credited to his old-system retirement account early in the morning. Although the amount—tens of thousands of New Taiwan dollars—may seem modest, it represents a significant relief for grassroots retirees who have long endured rising living costs and income uncertainty after years of persistent advocacy.

While the deposit of tens of thousands of dollars marks a milestone, what policy shift does it signify? Li Lai-hsi reflected that although the sum appears small, it is the crystallization of years of relentless struggle by countless comrades. He expressed heartfelt gratitude to fellow retirees who stood by him and extended appreciation to opposition lawmakers who supported the legislative amendment. While the payment cannot fully restore all the rights and fairness owed to retired civil servants, he said it at least provides psychological reassurance and alleviates the financial burden caused by soaring prices in recent years.

Li highlighted that domestic prices have surged significantly in recent years. The minimum wage has increased for ten consecutive years, and social welfare payments—including labor insurance, national insurance, agricultural insurance, and elderly farmer allowances—have all been adjusted upward in line with inflation indices. National tax revenues have repeatedly hit record highs, and the pension fund has achieved impressive investment returns. Yet, amid this broad-based economic growth, military, civil, and educational retirees have faced a decade of declining pension incomes, leaving many grassroots retirees anxious about their financial security in old age.

Although the legislative amendment has halted the annual reduction of pensions, Li stressed that this achievement is only a阶段性 goal. He pointed out that only half of the campaign promises made by current Legislative Yuan President Han Kuo-yu during the 2020 presidential election have been fulfilled. The shadow of the ten-year pension reduction policy and its economic impact remain. Li emphasized that the core demand of retired civil servant groups is to fully restore pension benefits to their pre-2019 levels—before the 'pension reform' introduced the reduction mechanism. He argued that the original reduction framework violates the principle of legal trust protection and lacks fairness and human compassion, and thus must be firmly opposed.

The fight for dignity continues. With back payments for January to July now arriving in accounts, one chapter has closed, but the advocacy movement is far from over. Li affirmed that upholding the dignity and justice for military, civil, and educational retirees remains their unwavering belief. Until full restoration of original rights is achieved, these groups will continue to speak out and fight for the protections retirees deserve. This wave of back payments symbolizes the implementation of the no-more-cuts policy, but balancing the financial sustainability of the pension fund with the quality of life for retired civil servants remains a central issue of public concern.