Responding to news that self-employed workers earn £60 a week less than they did 20 years ago [1], the Green Party said the Government should pilot a Basic Income to give people real security.
Jonathan Bartley, co-leader of the Green Party, said:
"While the increase in self-employment and the expanding gig economy can be liberating and offer more flexibility, the drop in average earnings for the self-employed is yet more evidence of the growing insecurity that accompanies it. The reality for many is one of earnings below a minimum wage, let alone a Living Wage, without holiday and sick pay.
"With every week that passes, the case for a Basic Income becomes more compelling. The new economy requires us to think in new ways about how we provide real security and opportunity in a rapidly changing world of work.
“Other countries are pushing ahead and already piloting a basic universal payment which would give workers the safety net they need for the Twenty First Century. The Government should stop dragging its feet, and push forward with its own pilot scheme, otherwise British worker risk being left behind, vulnerable and to fend for themselves."
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