Ner Group Koldo Saratxaga. Irizar. Cooperativism. They're names that we know a lot, aren't they? I'm not going to tell the story of Ner Group and the trajectory of Saratxaga. But it does expose the program “Commitment to Society” that they carry out in this group. In the short term, all choose social action projects per year and workers invest their working time as volunteers.

In social projects, each worker invests 2% of his/her working time per year, as the objective of Ner Group is to participate actively in these types of projects in order to achieve more sustainable and equitable human development. Juanje Anduaga, coordinator of the Social Commitment of Ner Group, explains this. The 21 business projects that make up the Group Ner select the annual projects through a participatory process.

Selection process

The idea proposal can be made by any person or group of Ner Group and, to begin with, several meetings are held with the proposed agents, such as the proponents, to know the project, analyze it and, if possible, establish a basis. In order to move forward in this first phase, the business group sets out the following criteria: to have sufficient information to calculate the human and economic cost and analyze the feasibility; to have programmes addressing issues such as human rights, culture, education, health, care, the environment, relations or social initiatives that promote sustainable development; to ensure sustainability, participation and dignity; to prioritize the most necessary human resources than economic resources; to avoid projects that can generate greater dependence.

Taking these criteria into account and following a first analysis of the proposals, a list of possible projects is made in the Society Engagement Working Group, which has representatives from 21 companies. Subsequently, over a month, it will be up to all workers in each company to report on the projects they support and the number of volunteer workers who are willing to work in each of them. At the next meeting, the representatives of each working centre put forward their proposals, and that is where the social action in which they will participate in the coming year is decided. Those supported by most business projects.

Once the decision has been taken, each worker chooses the project in which to invest 2% of his working hours. In 2015 they participated in 34 social projects such as education and the transmission of values; the risk of social exclusion; or in social actions based on intellectual and functional disability. n