Police officers and soldiers will have to work longer to gain an entitlement to a full pension, according to a bill approved by parliament on Thursday, March 14. The approved changes – retirement after 25 years of service – will affect not only new police officers and soldiers, but also those who have been employed in the services for less than five years.
According to the TASR newswire, former defence minister Ľubomír Galko criticised the bill sponsored by the Interior Ministry, claiming that it's unfair to change the rules of the game for those who have already signed up. His proposal was rejected by parliament, however. The bill also deals with the valorisation of pensions for police and soldiers, which will now be the same as for civilians. At the same time, this will be subject to certain changes according to years of service.
Apart from seeing their pension eligibility changed, police officers and soldiers will have to pay higher insurance and pension deductions from their salaries. At the same time, police officers and soldiers will have to serve at least 13 years (instead of five) to be entitled to severance pay, TASR wrote.
The Sme daily reported on March 15 that several austerity measures concerning pensions will also affect firefighters and rescue workers, customs officers, prison officers, the SIS intelligence agency and the National Security Bureau. The long-prepared amendment should help the state save €6.7 million each year, Sme added.
Sources: TASR, Sme
Compiled by Zuzana Vilikovská from press reports
The Slovak Spectator cannot vouch for the accuracy of the information presented in its Flash News postings.
15. Mar 2013 at 10:00
