Renfe

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Since its inception, Renfe has maintained a commitment to activities of social interest, and is always looking to learn about and involve itself with the environment in which it operates. A commitment to Society and Accessibility, with a special focus on customers with disabilities or mobility problems, enacted through the Accessibility Plan, encompassing a concern for diversity, tolerance, respect and understanding as a means of fostering social cohesion.

Renfe, supporting Accessibility

Renfe has developed an ambitious Accessibility Plan, which aims to ensure that the vast majority of its services are accessible to passengers with disabilities by 2010, placing Spain at the forefront in Europe in terms of accessibility to rail services.

The timeframe established in the Plan is considerably shorter – approximately 10 years – than the period envisaged in Royal Decree 1544 of 23 November 2007, which governs the basic terms and conditions relating to accessibility and non-discrimination for access to and use of transport services by people with disabilities.

Renfe’s commitment to accessibility includes passengers in wheelchairs, blind persons or persons with eyesight problems, the elderly, pregnant women, passengers with children, deaf persons or persons with hearing difficulties and other passengers with reduced mobility.

Due to its social-guarantee value, the Plan has been agreed with the CERMI/ONCE disabled people’s associations, which are monitoring the Accessibility Plan actions taken. Renfe believes that dialogue with interest groups will help to jointly promote the proposed objectives, develop cooperation initiatives and provide mutual assistance to carry out the Plan.

Atrención Project

Renfe works with a Disabled Persons Assistance Management (GAD) tool. GAD enables the management and monitoring of the entire assistance process, from the request for same to its completion. Moreover, it enables intercommunication between all the departments that intervene in the process. During the course of 2007, its first full year of use, the tool registered 60,000 assistance actions, and expects to reach the figure of 150,000 next year.

This initiative arose from the winning projects of Renfe’s 14th Innovation Project Competition, which awards the best ideas put forward by its employees. In this case, GAD forms part of the project launched under the name of “Atrención”.

Renfe and its Employees

Gender equality

Renfe has added a specific equal opportunities clause to its Collective Bargaining Agreement, valid from January 2007, which proves the company's commitment to fostering gender equality. The Collective Bargaining Agreement covers the following objectives:

1. Promote the proper defence and application of equality between men and women.
   
2. Detect, prevent and, where necessary, eliminate any discrimination, whether direct or direct, due to gender, maternity-related issues, the assumption of family duties and marital status
   
3. Achieve balanced female representation in the company and improve women’s chances of accessing posts carrying responsibility
   
4. Foster work conditions that avoid sexual harassment and gender-related harassment
   
5. Continue to implement measures that reconcile working life with employees’ family and personal life
   

Renfe has set up an Equal Opportunities Commission in which all areas of the company and all unions within the General Works Committee are represented, and which is backed by Renfe’s management. It is empowered to negotiate Renfe's Equality Plan, to which end a diagnostic report was drafted and submitted that analysed the current make-up of the staff in terms of gender and contextualised the development of the company in this sense. In addition, working groups on gender equality were set up with women from all the professional groups to be found in Renfe, which number 11 in all, in order to ensure reasonable coverage among the different groups that there are in the company according to professional profile, age or seniority. These groups work to a meetings calendar that began in December 2008.

The company considers the Equality Plan to be an organised set of measures that will establish the specific equality objectives that must be attained, the strategies and practices to be adopted to achieve them, and efficient follow-up and evaluation systems for the set objectives.

Promoting equal opportunities is not something new to Renfe. The company is involved in the Óptima Program, the aim of which is to foster equal rights for females and males in the workplace. In fact, since 1999 the railway company has held the ‘Collaborating Organization in Equal Opportunities for Women and Men’ certificate, awarded by the Women's Institute.

Fostering reconciliation

1. Accumulation of breast-feeding leave.
   
2. Analysis of holiday leave selection preferences, within the months established as holiday months, for workers with children who are bound by a divorce or separation ruling, without changing the percentage of workers per holiday leave and workplace.
   
3. The opportunity to take seven days a year, apart from the vacation calendar, for personal issues, without need of justification.
   
4. Account taken of public holidays that fall on a Saturday within the work calendar, which the worker can take in accordance with his/her needs.
   
5. Leave or permission for personal reasons and needs (illness, death or surgery of family members, among others).

Corporate benefits

All Renfe employees enjoy a number of corporate benefits, as stipulated by the company’s internal regulations. The most important of these benefits include:

Social security:

1. Warranty coverage in the event of incapacity or death through a collective life and accident insurance policy.
   
2. Social Fund, set up to deal with special situations, such as medical attention and serious situations not covered by Social Security.
   
3. Health and preventive medicine campaigns: tobacco dependence treatment, early cancer detection, cardiovascular risk prevention, drug-addition and alcoholism programs, etc.
   
4. Help for employees with disabled children.
   
5. Benefits up to 90% of the worker’s salary for loss of purchasing power due to temporary incapacity resulting from a common work illness or accident in cases of lengthy sick leave.
   
6. Basic health care through the Company Medical Service.
   
7. Up to three months of interest-free advance payments of the basic wage to meet special expenses, to be repaid within a maximum of 18 months.
   
8. Reduction on general ticket prices for train journeys.
   
9. Flexible hours and other reconciliation measures

Preventive medicine campaigns:

1. Anti-flu Vaccination Campaign.
   
2. Diet and Prevention of Colon-Rectal Cancer.
   
3. Prevention of Prostate Cancer.
   
4. Prevention of Cardiovascular Risk.
   
5. Prevention and Treatment of the Tobacco Addiction.
   
6. Gynaecological Health.
   
7. Vaccination against Tetanus and Diphtheria.
   
8. Vaccination against Hepatitis B.

Employees and innovation

2008 saw the 14th Innovation Project Competition, through which Renfe encourages, protects and acknowledges the work of the Participation Systems in their three forms: GIM (Innovation and Improvement Groups), EIM (Innovation and Improvement Teams) and individual initiative. The competition acknowledges four initiative modalities aimed at encouraging Renfe’s ongoing improvement: management and processes, social responsibility, the environment and individual initiative. Winning projects are implemented in accordance with the resources and calendars set forth in the development of each proposal.

Renfe and its Customers

Punctuality commitment

Renfe strives to guarantee its customers the highest degree of punctuality in its transport services. The proof that this effort has paid off can be seen in the high levels of punctuality that all of the services in all of the Areas of Activity record, especially Alta Velocidad-Larga Distancia, which is nearly 100%. In Europe, Renfe is smashing age-old preconceptions by greatly outperforming British, German and Swiss operators, whose punctuality has always been taken for granted, even outdoing France, the pioneer and standard bearer of continental high-speed train travel. Neither has Renfe been found wanting when compared with multi-national companies, such as Thalys or Eurostar: its results are over five points above the best of these companies, the quality level of which is considered to be exemplary all over the world.

No other rail company in the world refunds the price of their tickets as Renfe, which gives customers their money back as of a 5 minute delay on the Madrid-Seville line and as of 15, 20, 30 or 60 minute delays on all other connections. Renfe’s committment to punctuality is the one that most favours customer interests anywhere in the world. Very few companies compensate their passengers for delays of under an hour, and almost none offer compensation equivalent to 100% of the ticket price. When they do, it is nearly always in the form of travel vouchers.

Commitment to innovation. Fleet renewal

Renfe is advancing in its commitment to put 560 new trains into service between 2004 and 2010, with an investment of nearly €6,000 million. Of these 72 will be used for Ave services, 73 for Alvia services, 10 will be used as Trenhotels, 60 are Avant, 122 will be used on Media Distancia Convencional journeys and 223 Civia for Cercanías, in addition to 100 new goods locomotives. Thus, Renfe currently commissions three new trains and a new locomotive every week.

In this way, by 2010 Renfe will have the newest, most modern and versatile train fleet in Europe, offering the best performance.

Renfe and Social Action

We are conscious that we cannot develop our activity in isolation from our social setting. That is why we wish to support disadvantaged groups, collaborate with special employment centres to subcontract services, and with NGOs and Foundations.

Special Employment Centres

Gardens of Spain Foundation

Renfe renewed its collaboration agreement with the Gardens of Spain Foundation, which specialises in the social integration of mentally disabled people by giving them the chance to become involved in the conservation and upkeep of the gardens at Renfe's ‘Las Caracolas’ office complex (Madrid). This collaboration began back in 2005.

“Ayúdale a Caminar” Association

Renfe placed the ‘Ayúdale a Caminar’ Association, a Special Job Centre for integrating disabled persons into working life, in charge of the scanning and cataloguing of its historical photograph collection, which includes 66 years of trains, railway stations, passengers, actual openings, social sections and history. This important legacy of 190,000 pictures, including paper, negatives and transparencies, tells the story of Spanish railway transport since the 1940s. A collaboration that began back in 2005, it has digitalised 43,000 pictures to date.

“CAILU”Special Employment Centres

Renfe collaborates with the Special Employment Centre, “CAILU” (the Andalusian Unified Labour Integration Centre), an organisation dedicated to supporting the social and labour integration of women with a disability level of up to 65%. It focuses on women whose disability is a result of, or has been worsened by, gender-based violence. This support is given through the acquisition of merchandising items made by this organisation, to a value of over €6,000.

Humanitarian aid

Transporting human aid

In 2007, Renfe Freight collaborated in transporting humanitarian aid containers for NGOs such as Comercio para el Desarrollo (Copade), Desarrollo Integral de los Pueblos, Fundación Prodein and Secretariado Latinoamericano, among others. In this period, 120 consignments of 20-foot and 40-foot containers were made.

Official Spanish Search and Rescue Transport Provider

Renfe is an Official Spanish Search and Rescue (SAR) Transport Provider. The main purpose of this organisation is to mitigate the effects caused by disasters in the shortest time possible, as well to prevent them, to educate to ensure that the consequences are limited, to cooperate with, rescue and help people suffering anywhere in the world in the event of earthquakes, landslides, attacks, avalanches, flooding or any other phenomenon that requires helping unprotected people. Its actions during the earthquake in Pisco (Peru) are noteworthy.

Renfe and Health

Support for multiple sclerosis patients

Renfe collaborated with the Spanish Multiple Sclerosis Association (Aedem) in the train journeys its members have to make within their area of medical attention and to support people suffering from multiple sclerosis and their families.

Promoting eye care

Renfe collaborates with the Fundación Mirada Solidaria, aimed at promoting activities in Bolivia in the field of general health, and eye care in particular. More specifically, the railway company supported a campaign to perform 100 cataract operations.

Cystic fibrosis awareness.

Renfe supports the Spanish Cystic Fibrosis Association. On 25 April, World Cystic Fibrosis Awareness Day, Renfe collaborated in disseminating the Association’s information in ticket vending machines in 7 Cercanías hubs, to raise awareness among the public about the illness.

DAF collaborating company

Renfe collaborates with the Help Against Drug Abuse Foundation (FAD), a private, non-profit-making welfare institution with the basic mission of preventing drug use and its consequences. Renfe helped out the DAF by sponsoring activities targeted at preventing drug use and its consequences and promoting, supporting and implementing prevention programs and experiments in schools, homes and the community, through which aims to solve such complex problems.

Moreover, during the last European Football Championship (Euro 2008), Renfe together with DAF and the Spanish Football Association organised the competition “The national team against drugs”. The aim of the competition was to involve all Spanish fans in a goal even more important than winning a European title, namely, preventing drug use among Spanish teenagers and young adults.

Andalusian Federation of Parents of Children with Cancer

The Federation works to improve the conditions of life of children suffering from cancer, and their families. Renfe collaborates in the journeys that families with limited economic resources have to make so that their children with cancer can receive treatment in other hospitals far away from where they live.

Leukaemia and Lymphoma Foundation

Renfe collaborates with the Leukaemia and Lymphoma Foundation. This Foundation helps people suffering from illnesses for which the diagnostic, treatment and cure demand specialist knowledge of Haematology and Haemotherapy, as well as providing financial and psychological aid to patients and their families.

“Step by Step”Foundation

Renfe collaborates with this foundation, which has the mission to cure people suffering from neurological problems that affect the Central Nervous System, using an innovative physiotherapeutic treatment, especially in cases involving bone-marrow damage.

“Pequeño Deseo (Small Wish)”Foundation

The Pequeño Deseo (Small Wish) Foundation aims to make dreams come true for children with chronic illnesses or poor prognosis, as a therapy to raise their spirits. Renfe collaborates with this organisation by providing transport for the children during the activities organised by the Foundation for them.

Camps for children with heart disease

Renfe collaborates with the Fundación Menudos Corazones, which specialises in the development and improvement of the quality of life of children, young persons and adults who suffer from congenital heart disease.

Renfe collaborates with the foundation by providing transport for young children and teenagers from the institution that take part in summer camps.

Renfe and Gender-based Violence

Agreement with the Ministerio de Igualdad

Renfe has entered into an agreement with the Ministerio de Igualdad to collaborate in several awareness campaigns about violence against women being developed by this government department. By this collaboration, Renfe contributes to the eradication of physical and symbolic attacks that affect women, their freedom, dignity, safety, privacy and moral and/or physical integrity.

Helping Women

Renfe supports the activities of the Genus Foundation, an organization with the principal aim of helping women and their problems of gender, with special attention to disabled women, and priority for those who have suffered disability as a result of gender violence. Moreover, Renfe has purchased from the Foundation merchandising items made by the “CAILU” Special Employment Centre, to a value of over €6,000.

Sport against gender-based violence

Renfe, in conjunction with the Ministerio de Trabajo y el Consejo Superior de Deportes, the Consejo Superior de Deportes and the Real Federación Española de Balonmano, promoted the ‘Spanish Handball Against Violence Against Women’ campaign. Before the start of its games, Spain’s National Men’s Handball Team came out onto the court displaying the message ‘Handball Against Violence Against Women’. The Federation also showed it support for this initiative at all of the Spanish Beach Handball Circuit and Spanish Beach Handball Championship trials.

Renfe also sponsored the ‘Rugby against violence against women’ campaign, promoted by the Ministerio de Trabajo, the National Sports’ Council and the Spanish Rugby Association. As part of the campaign, at the European Women’s Rugby Championship, the Spanish team posed with a banner showing the campaign’s slogan, ‘Rugby Against Violence Against Women’ at the match it played against Holland. At the end of the match, in the presence of all of the finalist teams in this tournament –Spain, Holland, England and France–, the Spanish captain, Isabel Rodríguez, read the following statement: “Ladies and gentlemen, as rugby players and fans, we condemn gender-based violence. No to violence against women, this is the most important contest”.

Raising awareness about violence against women

Renfe has signed an agreement with the Spanish Government’s General Secretariat on Equality Policy to promote action to raise awareness about gender-based violence and the difficulties of integration experienced by women who have been victims of such violence.

Renfe and Foundations, Associations and NGO's

Patron of the Red Cross Foundation

Renfe is a patron of the Red Cross Federation, in recognition of the outstanding work that this NGO has been doing in Spain for over 130 years.

Fundación Tierra de Hombres

Renfe collaborates with the Tierra de Hombres Foundation in the “Journey towards a Life” programme, in which Renfe provides transport for children from Madrid to hospitals where they are to be operated on, in Seville and Malaga.

“Pá Tos” Flamenco Festival

Renfe sponsors the “Pá Tos” Flamenco Festival, organised by the Gomaespuma Foundation in order to collect funds for its projects. The projects carried out by the Gomaespuma Foundation mainly focus on children, on bringing education to areas of poverty so that their inhabitants can reassert their culture, thus enabling them to share it with others in the future.

Help in Action Paddle Tennis Solidarity Tournament

Renfe supported the 10th Help in Action Charity Paddle Tennis Tournament, by contributing an amount to HELP IN ACTION, by way of a tournament subscription, for its operational actions aimed at collecting funds for the project, “Professional training and job generation support for the disabled in San Juan de Lurigancho, Lima, PERU”.

Renfe, protector member of CEFAES

Renfe is a protector member CEFAES (Special Family Education Centre). This Centre, the honorary president of which is Her Majesty, The Queen, provides support and advice about education to families with mentally handicapped children. In 2007, Renfe collaborated with CEFAES in the ‘Learning from home’ programme, in the Road Safety Education area.

Renfe joins RSF to sponsor the Cartoonists for the freedom of the press exhibition

Renfe’s commitment to the freedom of expression is evident through its support to the NGO Reporteros Sin Fronteras (RSF), for which it is the official sponsor and transport carrier. Renfe also collaborates with the RSF exhibition, Cartoonists for freedom of expression, the third edition of which takes place in February 2009 in El Corte Inglés shopping centres in Cadiz, Valencia, Pamplona, Zaragoza, Barcelona, Madrid and Gijón.

Shelter for refugee children

Renfe collaborates with the Integration and Solidarity Foundation (FINSOL), an organisation that has worked since 1997 for the welfare and better quality of life for children who suffer persecution, exile and poverty due to war or neglect. It is currently focussed on providing temporary shelter for orphans, refugee children and children evicted from their homes due to military conflicts and unjust situations in their environment. Through FINSOL, Spanish families can take in these children during July and August.

Concert for Peace

Renfe collaborates with the Peace Movement through the ‘Flamenco for Peace’ concert that is held to coincide with International Peace Day. This event is participated in by flamenco artists of the stature of Esperanza Fernández, El Lebrijano, Olga Pericet and Antonio Canales.

Train of Joy

Renfe collaborates with the Voz de Galicia Radio station on the so-called ‘Train of Joy’, a project to collect toys for children who cannot have them for Christmas. This train, which runs around La Coruña, only allows children on board, accompanied by an adult, who meet one condition: they must bring one or several toys that they do not use anymore or that they want to share with others. The Spanish Red Cross then collects these toys and gives them to hospitals, child care centres and others.