Quote Originally Posted by Wheeze View Post
Lots of people already say why work? They can carry on like that with ULW but at a vastly reduced administrative cost and no chance of improvement. But many more people probably do want to improve their lot. By working they can develop new skills that allow promotion, advancement and better pay.
.
That doesn't really answer my question and maybe I'm misunderstanding you.

I am imagining this as a Universal Guaranteed Income, because you linked it to dismantling the Welfare State.

I already see issues with the Minimum Wage which I expected when it was introduced. The curtain and blind factory owned by John Lewis where my wife worked between 2018 and 2023 now as staff category of "Level 10 operative" and it is the everyone who isn't management/supervisor.

So the sweeper up gets the same pay as a highly skilled machinist or cutter.

When she started in 2018 they paid the L10s about 15% above MW but with the inflation + increases of MW each year, in 2023 they received a £0.02 per hour increase in order to keep them legal.

Incentive to work hard, produce good quality at a pace, such as piecework used to imbue, has been driven out of the workforce.
People started on menial jobs, and progressed to higher skilled jobs, or became utilities, covering several operations at a high level for better remuneration.
That's gone.

The rise of the welfare state, which allows circumstances where some can live better off the state than some working full time on MW, has also driven out incentive.

I am concerned that a universal income is further problematic move.

I agree we dismantle the welfare state, but I go down the Universal Job route. I do not agree with something for nothing.