Swiss voters rejected a plan to introduce a guaranteed monthly income for all citizens. Almost 77 per cent of voters said no. The idea was for a minimum salary of around $2,500 for those who have been a citizen for five years, whether they worked or not. Supporters said it was necessary to replace Switzerland's social welfare system, and fight poverty and inequality. It would also give more money to people who earned below the minimum wage.
Supporters argued that automation was reducing the number of jobs available. The campaign group Basic Income Switzerland said the money would not be for doing nothing. It said: "In Switzerland, over 50 per cent of total work that is done is unpaid. It's care work. It's at home. It's in different communities, so that work would be more valued with a basic income." Opponents said: "You would have billions of people who would try to move into Switzerland."
