Work for a living – or live without work?

Switzerland has voted against having a basic income for all, but what would you do if you didn't need to work to earn?

Illustration by Gary Clement for The National

The vote is in. And it's a flat "no".
No to an unconditional universal basic income for every adult and child living in Switzerland.
This was a bold first – a progressive society debating whether people need to work to earn. One argument for the plan is that machines, robots, will make many redundant over time, but these people still have to afford life – an opinion against is the fear that if basic needs are covered, society will no longer feel responsible to look after those who cannot handle their lives on their own.
In among all this is a question for you: what would you be doing right now if you didn't need to earn – if your basic income was taken care of?
One that doesn't mean scraping by, but enough for a dignified – albeit no-frills – life. You could choose to work to earn more or volunteer your time, or do absolutely nothing – the money is still yours.
A spot check with some of my friends tells me they're on to a good thing: none is motivated by accumulating wealth for the sake of it. They said they would still do exactly what they do, with perhaps more joy. Interesting in that they are all high earners, but feel that having their financial needs covered frees them up somehow.
Of course it's not as simple as handing out a tax-free monthly allowance – there's a lot more involved on a political and national budgeting level. Where would the money come from?
But let us not get sidetracked with that little matter …
Those behind the Swiss proposal say that a guaranteed income – whether people work or not – is not money for nothing. A lot of work is unpaid, but it still needs doing. They estimate that this is the case for more than 50 per cent of work done in their country – a basic income means that the likes of carers and those working in the home would have financial dignity.
They also put forward that less desirable jobs, like keeping the city clean, would have to provide incentives for people to want to do them – thereby raising their social and monetary value.
It seems that most people like the idea: a poll by Dalia Research found that 68 per cent of people questioned across all 28 EU member states said they would definitely or probably vote for a universal basic income initiative. Finland and the Netherlands have pilot projects in the pipeline.
But as we saw last week, it was killed off in its debut public opinion test by a wide margin.
Last Sunday, roughly 76 per cent voted against the measure to change the constitution to "guarantee the introduction of an unconditional basic income" that assures "a humane existence and participation in public life for the whole population".
The proposal was for 2,500 Swiss francs (Dh9,534) for adults and 625 Swiss francs a month for children.
This sounds very radical, but it is not a new idea: Thomas More proposed it in his work Utopia in the 16th Century.
The Canadian town of Dauphin experimented with a stipend programme from 1974 to 1979. Yes, there was a drop in working hours, but there was also an increase in the time men spent in education and the amount of maternity leave women took. So the question really is: what are our priorities. To maximise earning and work all hours, or to build stable, nurturing people, families and soci­eties?
A basic universal income gives people more freedom to decide what they really want to do. Of course some would do nothing. But I don't believe it would be the choice for most. It reminds me of a school, Summerhill – an alternative school in the UK, where attending lessons is optional. Yes. After the initial euphoria of some pupils exercising this choice, they go to class. Willingly, happily.
Back to the basic issue: there is within us an intrinsic conditioning that links work done with money earned. Imagine this isn't the case. Now answer this: what would you be doing if you didn't need to work to earn?
Nima Abu Wardeh describes herself using three words: Person. Parent. Pupil. Each day she works out which one gets priority, sharing her journey on finding-nima.com. You can reach her at [e-mail] and on Twitter at @nimaabuwardeh.
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