ACCIONA makes a special effort to work for the occupational integration of disadvanted and potentially marginalised groups, including women, the under-25s, over-45s, the disabled and immigrants.

The employment of women

ACCIONA has active policies to permit equal opportunities in the development of the professional careers of women. Projects include the agreement reached by ACCIONA Trasmediterranea with its trade unions to allocate a percentage of posts for females in promotion and the creation of permanent employment in all ranks, from ABS to Officers. ACCIONA Airport Services Pasarelas Madrid has a percentage of employment allocated for single mothers and victims of abuse.

The ACCIONA business lines with a significant number of females include Urban and Environmental Services, where female staff account for 54.72% of the workforce, and Energy with 30.22%.

Salary Equality

ACCIONA committees have conducted studies on salary discrimination leading to joint action plans between the committee and the business divisions. In addition, there are active salary review policies.

Integration of immigrants

ACCIONA has developed programmes to contract professionals at source from a number of countries, a formula which allows requirements for professionals to be met while also contributing to the development of third-world countries and supporting the integration of immigrants. As a result of this programme, immigrant employees made up almost 6% of the total staff at ACCIONA at the end of 2006.

In 2007, ACCIONA started the first business programme for the training and selection of candidates in Senegal, with the aim of providing the workers with the necessary cultural and professional skills and to facilitate their integration on arrival in Spain. The programme was developed by ACCIONA in collaboration with the Department of Immigration in the Ministry of Employment and with the International Labour Organisation (ILO) of the United Nations.

75 individuals took part in the first round, and two further programmes are expected to be held in 2008, to train and provide employment to a total of 150 individuals over the year, working in the areas of electrical and mechanical maintenance, gardening and cleaning.

The Disabled

In 2006, ACCIONA agreed the implementation of the  Inserta Programme with the ONCE Foundation with the objective of employing 3% of disabled persons directly or indirectly over a four-year period, increasing from the 2.17% reached at the end of 2006. This would mean the creation of at least 150 direct positions and the total employment of more than 800 people.

Agreements with foundations

Since 2001, ACCIONA has been a collaborator with the Integra Foundation, a charity which acts as intermediary in the occupational integration of people at risk of social exclusion. In 2006, a total of 26 posts were created, three times more than the previous year. This resulted in ACCIONA receiving a `Special Mention´ from the Foundation.

In addition, programmes for occupational promotion have been embarked upon with organisations such as the Red Cross, ASCAR, Adecco Foundation, the Spanish Commission of Aid to Refugees, Fundosa, Caritas, Acapps, the Association for the Incorporation of Women in the Workforce  and the National Confederation of Disabled Persons in Spain.