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A proposal for a three-year pilot of a universal basic income in the arts, culture, audiovisual and live performances and events sector has been unanimously endorsed by the Arts and Culture Recovery Task Force appointed by Minister Catherine Martin.
The basic, unconditional and optional salary for artists and cultural workers, based on the national minimum wage of 10.20 euros per hour, will replace other social assistance payments and allow creatives to earn other separate income when work is available.
The report analyzes the pandemic unemployment payment (PUP) and other payments and says that a universal basic income (RBU) of the national minimum wage of 31.9 hours gives a weekly payment of 325.38 euros.
The average income in the sector is 584.84 euros, so the basic income measure would replace on average 55.6 percent of that, he says.
The detailed proposal was the first in a comprehensive 10-action strategy at Life Worth Living, the report of the Task Force for the Recovery of Arts and Culture, released after Tuesday’s cabinet meeting.
The 18-person task force, chaired by Clare Duignan, included artists, representative bodies, and officials from various government departments. It was tasked with making recommendations to ensure the survival of the culture, arts, audiovisual, live performance and events sector, until it is fully reopened.
Both Ms. Duignan and the Minister noted that “the arts and culture sector was the first to close and in many cases it will be the last to reopen,” due to Covid-19, and the proposals in the group’s report. work were vital to ensure survival.
“The sector is falling apart,” Duignan said, adding that every month the situation worsened and that the sector could take years to rebuild.
Another proposal is a capital improvement scheme to reinvent public spaces, with funds for local authorities to adapt, equip or improve venues for culture and events. “This would improve the quality of life for people across the country as we are faced with living more lives outdoors,” said Ms. Duignan.
Ms. Martin will appoint an oversight committee to implement the recommendations. He said there was strong Cabinet support for the proposals, including the Universal Basic Income, with a commitment to introduce the pilot during the life of the Government. The basic income project would be examined by the Low Pay Commission. Ms. Martin noted that there has been an income support scheme for cultural workers in France since 1936.
The report includes wide-ranging recommendations on policy and planning, revenue, tax and financial provision, education and training, technology supports, mental health, social protection, community development, social inclusion, and copyright. Ms. Duignan said that the members of the working group supported all the proposals unanimously.
Regarding the cost to the Treasury, he says that the figures for October 22 show that 7,042 people claimed PUP in the category “Art, entertainment and recreation”, which includes sports. The average payment for pandemic unemployment, which depends on income before the arrival of Covid-19, is 276 euros per week.
It says that a RBU of € 325.38 per week would be € 49.38 per week higher than the average PUP payment for the sector, or an additional € 2,567 per year. This would cost an additional 2.5 million euros per year, in addition to the current cost of PUP, for every 1,000 participants in the pilot.
Copyright and Guardianship
The report also calls for the transposition into Irish law of both the EU Directive on Copyright in the Digital Single Market and the Audiovisual Media Services Directive, to ensure fair payment to creators of creative content. In addition, it proposes training and mentoring to bring green initiatives and sustainability to the arts, culture and creative industries.
The National Campaign for the Arts, which participated in the task force, said the report’s proposals were a more significant step toward the survival, recovery and strengthening of the arts and events industries. He was particularly happy for the pilot of the Universal Basic Income, which he has promoted and “which will be transformative for so many artists and art workers.”
The Irish Equity union, which represents performers, also welcomed the proposal to introduce a basic income scheme for art workers.
The Epic task force, which represents skilled workers from the events industry, said the task force had produced “crucial recommendations critical to the survival of the live events industry.”
The report was also well received by Screen Producers Ireland and Event Industry Ireland (EII), who represent the business events industry and are also involved in the working group, in particular its “constructive proposals”, including a grant scheme for business support for SMEs in the events industry. which are excluded from the Covid-19 Restrictions Compatibility Scheme.
Regarding the current ban on live performances, Ms Duignan said that artistic spaces such as theaters, galleries and cinemas were highly controlled and professionally managed environments and that amending the current restrictions should be seriously considered, particularly at Level 3 Experience in health and safety in the sector could ensure safety, he said.
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