Universal Basic Income for the Arts Now!

It clear that as we approach one year of Covid-19 restrictions that there now 3 commonly agreed truths:

(1) The crisis unleashed by Covid-19 is having a disproportionate effect on our arts, culture, live performance, and events industries.

(2) The arts, culture, live performance, and events industries were among the first to suffer the consequences of the virus but will be the last to recover.

(3) The recognition that the work in the arts is precarious work and is mostly low paid

The Arts Recovery Task Force recognised these challenges in their report “A Life Worth Living” published in November of 2020 in which their number 1 key recommendation is that the Government should “pilot a universal basic income scheme for a three-year period in the arts, culture, audio visual and live performance and events sectors”

Irish Equity and SIPTU formed part of this Recovery Task Force are now reinforcing the demands from the undersigned which calls upon the Government to implement the promised pilot scheme as a matter of urgency.

Workers in our arts, culture, live performance and events industry need this emergency support if they are to survive this crisis and rebuild our creative futures to sustain and unite people in a post covid world.