The Kontzilia Community, established a decade ago by the Department of Welfare, Youth, and Demographic Challenge of the Basque Government, marked its tenth anniversary today at the Villa Suso Palace in Vitoria-Gasteiz. What began with just three companies has now expanded to encompass 47 companies and cooperatives of various sizes and sectors, all recognized for their exemplary conciliation measures. Among the participating companies are Lantegi Batuak, Bahía de Bizkaia Gas, Zikotz, Industrias Mujika, Urkide, and Construcciones Otegi Gaztañaga.
Current data reveals that 29.6% of workers report significant difficulties in balancing work and family life, with women dedicating 1.3 hours more daily to caregiving. To address this, the department is collaborating with the University of Deusto to establish a Conciliation Chair. Furthermore, the budget for conciliation measures has increased by 10% this year, and over 120 Basque companies have already applied for financial aid to develop conciliation plans and diagnostics.
“"It is no longer enough to have measures; the challenge for the next decade is to move from measures to a culture of conciliation. Policy on paper is useless if no one dares to use it. Conciliation is played out day by day: in a meeting not called at half-past five, or in a leave request made without fear."
The main presentation was delivered by Professor Leire Gartzia from Deusto Business School, titled "How to measure conciliation and co-responsibility: indicators, impact, and decision-making." Gartzia focused on co-responsibility between companies and workers and the shared benefits of conciliation measures. She emphasized the importance of systematic measurement and rigorous evaluation of these initiatives to understand their true scope and effectiveness. While there is interest in promoting conciliation, Gartzia noted, "often there are not sufficiently developed mechanisms to understand their real impact, identify what works, and which aspects require adjustments." She added, "In this regard, we consider it essential to advance towards a greater culture of evaluation, incorporating evidence-based methodologies and tools."
Beyond the work of the Kontzilia Community in collaboration with Euskalit, twelve Basque companies have already received the first quality seal measuring conciliation in the Basque Country. There are four levels of conciliation, and 39 new companies have applied to participate in this assessment, with results to be announced soon.
