A growing number of Catalan schools are threatening to cancel all overnight trips and summer camps for the 2026-2027 academic year. This action escalates a long-running dispute with the government over working conditions. Over 50 educational centres have joined the protest, using one of the most cherished aspects of school life to pressure the Department of Education into negotiations.
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The campaign, gaining momentum in recent weeks, operates under a simple yet powerful slogan: “Without dignified conditions, there will be no trips or school camps.” This move targets a key part of the Catalan education system. Residential trips, known as colònies, are considered a vital part of a child’s social and cultural development. By setting a deadline over a year away, schools aim to build public awareness and political pressure without immediately impacting current students.
A New Front in a Long Dispute
This latest action is not an isolated incident. Instead, it represents a new strategy in a protracted conflict between educators and the Catalan government. It follows a major teachers’ strike on February 11, 2026. This strike caused significant transport disruptions in Barcelona and across the region as thousands of teachers took to the streets. As Ara.cat reported, teachers’ demands extend beyond pay. They focus on what they describe as a systemic crisis in the classroom.
The unrest in the education sector mirrors a wider climate of public sector discontent across Catalonia. In recent months, the region has seen widespread demonstrations from various groups. Doctors and farmers have also staged major protests to demand better conditions and government support.
The Government’s Offer
In response to growing pressure, the Department of Education and Vocational Training, headquartered on Via Augusta in Barcelona, presented a new proposal on February 19. The plan aims to address some teacher concerns; however, unions have largely dismissed it as insufficient.
The government’s offer includes an increase in a specific supplementary payment for teaching staff. By 2029, this would amount to an additional €1,480.36 annually for infant and primary school teachers, and €1,513.68 for their secondary school counterparts. Furthermore, the proposal pledges to reduce bureaucracy, simplify administrative tasks, and formally recognise teachers as figures of public authority to protect them from aggression.
Unions Demand More
However, major teaching unions, including Ustec, Aspepc, CCOO, CGT, and UGT, argue the offer falls far short of what is needed.
Their core demands include a comprehensive salary increase of 20-25% to recover purchasing power lost over the last decade. They also seek a significant reduction in class sizes and an increase in support staff to help manage increasingly diverse and complex classroom needs.
While the government has separately proposed a €22m investment for support staff salaries, unions maintain the education system requires more fundamental, structural changes. The decision by individual schools to threaten trip cancellations, as Diari Catalunya first reported, indicates a grassroots frustration that official union action has not yet resolved.
Outlook for 2026-2027
With the 2026-2027 school year set as the new battleground, parents and students now face the prospect of a school experience without one of its most memorable components. The coming months will be critical in determining whether the Department of Education and teaching staff can find common ground, or if school hallways will fall silent instead of buzzing with the excitement of an upcoming trip.
