Today FCC Construcción, CCOO and UGT signed an Equality Plan, in force through 31 December 2012; the plan consists of a 'structured set of measures which will truly and effectively pave the way for the achievement overall, and in each individual company, of the objectives of equal treatment and opportunities for men and women, and eliminate any trace of gender discrimination'.

The Chairman and CEO of FCC, Baldomero Falcones, and the Chairman of FCC Construcción, José Mayor, signed on behalf of the company. Fernando Serrano, Secretary General of the Federation of Construction, Wood and Related Workers (FECOMA) signed the agreement on behalf of CCOO, and Manuel Fernández, General Secretary of the National Federation of Metal, Construction and Related Workers, signed on behalf of UGT.

FCC Construcción is the first company in its sector in Spain to implement an Equality Plan that has been negotiated and signed with Spain's leading labour unions, under the Equality Law that was enacted last year.

Through this agreement, FCC Construcción aims to help raise awareness about, protect and enhance employees' individual rights. Specifically, it aims to safeguard employees' dignity within the workplace, establish healthy behaviour patterns and eliminate any conduct that can be considered an illegitimate infringement on a person's privacy or dignity.

The specific goals of the Equality Plan are:

• To promote the effective defence and application of the principle of equality among men and women, guaranteeing the same opportunities for income and professional development in the workplace at all levels.
• To improve the gender balance within the scope of the Plan.
• To promote and improve women's opportunities to attain positions of responsibility, helping reduce inequalities or imbalances that may arise in FCC Group's construction companies, regardless of their historical, cultural, social and family roots.
• To prevent discrimination in employment on the basis of gender, establishing a protocol for action in such cases.
• To reinforce the Group's commitment to sustainability and corporate social responsibility, with a view to improving living standards for employees and their families, and promoting equal opportunities.
• To establish guidelines to exclude any measures that might jeopardise the work-life balance of FCC Group workers.
• To guarantee equal access for men and women to company training, for the purposes of enhancing professional development and promotion.

The following areas of action have been identified with a view to achieving these objectives: access to employment, promotion, training, remuneration, work-life balance, and prevention of gender harassment and gender-based violence.

The Plan is applicable to and binding upon all employees at every workplace, current and future, of FCC Construcción in Spain, and at subsidiaries in which that company owns a direct or indirect stake of more than 50% and to which the construction industry collective bargaining agreements apply.