As a part of our Associate Company ThisEgg’s new show ‘unfortunately’, campaign organisation Debt Justice will be hosting free workshops on bailiffs, debt, colonialism and the climate crisis  in our building. We caught up with Debt Justice to talk about the work they do, what they’ve achieved globaly and about their workshops.

Hey Debt Justice team! Could you please introduce yourselves and your role(s)

Hello! I’m Skye and I’m the Activism Manager at Debt Justice. I do a lot of our public engagement work, getting the public involved in the struggle for economic justice. That can look like organising protests, leading workshops and trainings, or working with artists to create opportunities for people to learn and engage.

Alongside my colleagues Tess and Eva, I’ll be facilitating a series of workshops to support ‘unfortunately’, a new play about money from ThisEgg.

Tell us about Debt Justice, why and how was it created, and your campaigns.

We are a campaigning organisation that exists to end unjust debt and its root causes. Through campaigning, community organising, research and activism, we build collective power with the people most affected by personal debt in the UK, and public debt in exploited countries, so together we can rewrite the rules of global finance and build a fair economy for all.

The campaign that started it all was, ‘Jubilee 2000’, a global debt movement that began in the late ‘90s and won $130 billion of debt cancellation for lower income countries. Today we campaign for a new debt justice law to stop private lenders from exploiting countries in the global south, and to ban the use of bailiffs when collecting council tax in the UK.Outside of public facing campaigns and events you do a lot of research which is focused on global and UK-focused debt issues. Could you tell us a bit about your research overall and what you’ve found

Our research builds up the evidence base to support our campaign demands. We use our research to win media coverage and build our case for change with decision makers.

Recent examples of our research include analysis that showed total council tax arrears across Britain have reached a record £9.3 billion, underlining the deepening financial strain on households amid the ongoing cost of living crisis.

We also found that lower-income country debt payments have hit their highest level for 35 years, after more than trebling since 2010, to highlight the urgency of the global debt crisis.

What impact has Debt Justice had on the debt system over the years?

Alongside our allies in affected countries and communities, we’ve helped to bring about some big changes, including:

– A UK Act of Parliament to protect 40 impoverished countries from being sued by vulture funds.
– $1 billion of debt cancellation by the IMF, and $13 billion of debt payments suspended, during the Covid-19 pandemic.
– £500 million support fund and £65 million vulnerable renters package announced to support people with the financial impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic.
– Credit Suisse fined for its role in a debt scandal in Mozambique and made to cancel debts.
– Cap on thecost of credit won for rent-to-own products.
– A new set of UN principles for sovereign debt restructuring.
– $100 million of debt cancellation for countries affected by the Ebola crisis.
– New council tax collection rules issued by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government to introduce longer periods before enforcement action is taken, more affordable billing and a new pre-enforcement guidance.
– Cancellation of £300,000 of school meal debt in Glasgow, which then galvanized a national write off of school meal debt across Scotland.
– A commitment from the government and Ofgem to introduce an Energy Debt Relief Scheme to write off energy debt.
– A commitment from Manchester City local authority to stop sending bailiffs to almost 50,000 households.

For example, we met ‘unfortunately’s’ Josie Dale-Jones and Gayathiri Kamalakanthan through an exhibition we curated in 2023 titled It’s the debt that you owe: debt colonialism and resistance – they were two of the artists featured.You are coming to Shoreditch Town Hall to run workshops as part of the wraparound activity for ThisEgg’s new show, ‘unfortunately’. Could you tell us about the workshops and who can join them?

We’re running two free workshops as part of the wraparound activity for ‘unfortunately’.

Ban The Bailiffs: Resisting bailiffs in your community | Saturday 22 August & Tuesday 29 September
Council tax debt has soared in recent years, but instead of supporting households to get out of debt, councils are sending in the bailiffs. This workshop will help you understand the issue and give you the tools you need to join the fight against bailiffs in your area.

Debt, Colonialism and the Climate Crisis | Saturday 26 September & Sunday 4 October
For centuries, powerful governments, institutions and corporations have used debt to control and plunder the resources of countries in the global south for their own gain. Together we’ll explore the history of the colonial debt crisis and how you can fight for debt justice.

For the bailiffs workshop, we’d especially love to see people with experience of debt, and anyone living in Hackney, Tower Hamlets, Southwark or Lambeth. Again though, don’t worry if this doesn’t apply to you. All are welcome!

Why is it important for people to talk about money, debt and the global financial crisis?

We’re often made to think about economics as if it’s something technical and hard to understand, something wealthy white men in suits do behind the scenes that the rest of us can’t influence. But debt and economics are about power. Whether it’s rich countries continuing to extract wealth from the places they once colonised, or wealthy corporations making money off the backs of ordinary people in the UK, debt affects all of us.

That means we have to talk about it, so we can build power, mobilise, and change the system for the better. The rich are getting richer, exploiting people and our planet, but this is not inevitable. Together we can fix it – but first we need to understand the issue.

For more info about Debt Justice and the work that they do, head to their website here.

To book unfortunately and the the workshops, head to our website here.