Artists' social security: Do we wait decades for basic welfare?

The article responds to a piece by Professor Marek Góra, an economist at SGH, who argued against a proposed social security law for artists. While Góra acknowledged the need to support culture, he ultimately opposed the law's implementation, despite near-unanimous support from the artistic community.

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so what if I'm wrong, but I have the impression that Prof. Góra has not familiarized himself with the studies that have been repeatedly cited, according to which about 60% of creators earn below the minimum wage, and the group with the lowest income are folk creators.

The author expresses surprise at Góra's stance, suggesting he may not have reviewed studies indicating that approximately 60% of artists earn below the minimum wage, with folk artists having the lowest incomes. A recent report on audiovisual industry wages also revealed that a significant majority of respondents feel their work lacks professional security. The author criticizes Góra's article for lacking factual references, international comparisons, and a systematic economic analysis.

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82 percent of surveyed women and 72 percent of surveyed men believe that working in the industry does not provide security.

Professor Góra's argument that providing social security for artists without standard employment contracts represents an "additional cost for society" is directly challenged. The author questions the economic logic, asking how much it truly costs society to exclude artists without full-time employment or business registrations from pension systems, paid leave, and national health insurance. The piece implies that the current situation, where thousands of artists lack basic social security, incurs hidden societal costs.

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such support is an additional cost for society.

Furthermore, the article raises questions about the societal benefit of maintaining artistic educational institutions if only a few graduates can sustain a creative career. The author points out the high cost of art education, citing the annual cost of studying acting as an example, and questions the wisdom of collective retraining of artists into other professions when their initial training is not supported by adequate professional pathways.

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how much does it cost us not to include artists without JDG and employment contracts in the pension system?