Esther Koplowitz, FCC's core shareholder, received an award this morning from the Construction and Woodworkers Foundation (FCM) of the Comisiones Obreras Labour Union in the "Commitment to the Community" category. The judges noted FCC's work in the area of "creating a solidarity network which focuses on the most disadvantaged groups."

The Foundation lauded FCC's efforts to encourage its employees to volunteer in its solidarity network. Fernando Serrano, Chairman of the Foundation and General Secretary of FECOMA CCOO, presented the award to Esther Koplowitz, who expressed her thanks on behalf of all FCC employees.

In his presentation, Serrano highlighted the important role played by Esther Koplowitz and her entrepreneurial efforts in making FCC one of Spain's leading companies. Said Serrano: "In speaking about companies, we must also speak about their employees, who are the most valuable asset when they are properly trained and their work is recognised and valued."

He continued: "We should applaud those companies which take their greatest asset and make it stronger, rather than weaker, which maintain their workers despite the crisis, rather than destroying jobs, and which understand that social dialogue and the role of unions in a company make it stronger."

The first edition of the Foundation's Corporate Social Responsibility Awards also recognised OHL in the "Commitment to People" category, citing its "notable interest in creating a stable framework for relations with employees while also promoting training in human rights." The award was presented by Manual González Blanco, head of the the Madrid Regional Board of the Construction Labour Foundation, and was collected by Luis García-Linares, Corporate General Manager of the OHL Group.

The award in the third category, "Commitment to the Environment", went to Tragsa, for "its initiatives to improve environmental performance while respecting the natural areas where it operates, and its institutional contribution to the recovery and conservation of the environmental heritage". The prize was collected by Fe Meitín, the company's Human Resources manager, and it was presented by Delfín Martín, representing La Caixa, which sponsored the awards.

After referring to the "unprecedented" crisis in Spain, Fernando Serrano stated that "corporate social responsibility is gradually becoming the gold standard for analysing companies' performance and their relations and performance with respect to people, the community and the environment. For that reason, the Foundation grants these awards as a way of recognising the best business initiatives that serve as an example of progress for other companies and are a paragon of a job well done".