"ACCIONA in the Rodoanel" a sustainability paradigm

ACCIONA Infrastructure is tackling one of its most complex projects yet from a social viewpoint in building part of the Rodoanel Mário Covas, otherwise known as the greater São Paulo beltway, in Brazil. Human resources Coordinator María Aranzazu Losada and Recruitment Manager Sergio Rodrigues Da Silva tell us about the unique sustainability model the Rodoanelhas come to represent.

What social benefits will completing the Rodoanel project bring?

SERGIO: This work will help improve the life of São Paulo residents considerably. It is a city with huge traffic bottlenecks. It will reduce transit time for vehicles and pollution in the city center, improving quality of life. It will also stimulate employment in neighboring, disadvantaged communities, providing work and training for their people. The social worth of the project is incalculable.

Sergio Rodrigues: "The social worth of the Rodoanel project is incalculable"

What does Rodoanel have that other projects don't?

María Aranzazu Losada: "Experiences such as this teach you to understand other realities and integrate into new environments"

M. ARANZAZU: The efforts in the areas of environmental protection and CSR are unprecedented. Although sustainability is present in all ACCIONA's projects, the special social characteristics of the surroundings, and the fact that we find ourselves in a biosphere reserve, require additional measures. To quote an example: before the works began, our vets and biologists had to carry out a strict cataloging of the animals and plants in the area, and they ended up creating a nursery, where various prisoners now work as part of their programs of reintegration into the community.

What is ACCIONA's added value in the Rodoanel project?

MA: Rodoanel is the right place at the right time. The exceptional CSR needs of this project form a context in which the Company is, frankly, in its element. All the initiatives we are carrying out here only go to strengthen ACCIONA's commitment to sustainability and the social development of the communities in which it operates.

How do you recruit personnel in such a socially delicate context?

S: Although it hasn't been a barrier to the project, working where there are favelas always entrains certain complications. Though, we haven't had any problems related to safety, workplace conflict, or anything of that kind. At the beginning, expropriations were one of the main headaches, since many people subject to expropriation didn't have deeds and sometimes didn't even figure in the census. Another big challenge lay in the search for qualified personnel. Government requirements for contracting people from the neighboring communities made ACCIONA in-house training essential.

MA: ACCIONA is working sideby- side with São Paulo State Government in the project through the Via Libre program which seeks to provide members of the local communities with training that will be useful later in their strategic development. ACCIONA facilities include classrooms for this, where teachers provided by the Government give lessons.

ACCIONA is working alongside the São Paulo Government to reintegrate prisoners

How do you reach candidates in the adjoining communities?

MA: For direct recruitment, we can count upon the help of local authorities, NGOs, surrounding parishes, foundations, etc. These help by putting us in contact with people who are ready to work with us. It is important to know that we are not only offering jobs, but also the training to perform them. Collaboration with local entities is mutually beneficial, since this is a great opportunity for the communities around the site as well as for ACCIONA.

How do you adapt to the sometimes complicated social conditions?

MA: We engage continuously with community leaders, always taking into account their needs, from asphalting a road to providing a detour so that children can go to school safely. Through our teams of social communicators and assistants, we maintain constant contact with the population.

What role do these social communicators and assistants perform?

MA: We have two teams of social assistants and communicators. Their work is that of mediation and linking, both with the communities and official organizations. For instance, their task of explaining to people the conditions under which they were going to be expropriated was of great importance. These teams were also essential in the process of attracting job candidates, by mediating with local administrations. Finally, they are vital in everything to do with safety and accident prevention and disseminating information about the project.

What initiatives is ACCIONA taking to improve quality of life in the adjacent communities?

MA: There are monthly meetings with community representatives who transmit to us their needs and all kinds of questions related to the project. We also organize activities and programs. A good example is the Citizenship Days, where all kinds of workshops take place, from hairdressing to children's games. Vaccination, teaching of basic literacy and sexually transmitted disease prevention programs are also carried out. There is also the general work we do alongside the Government, participating in some of its programs such as Vía Libre or the Pró-Egresso program reintegrating prisoners.

What does Pró-Egresso consist of?

ACCIONA in the Rodoanel

Lots 4 and 6 Out of a total of 177: 25 km

Employees: 3,000

S: It is a program launched by the São Paulo Penitentiary Department to support and train prisoners who are completing their sentences (pregressos) or who find themselves on part-time release (egressos). It also includes their families. The prisoners participate voluntarily. The aim is to facilitate their social reintegration by providing them with training and a job. For every three days of work, their sentence is reduced by a day, and they are paid the minimum wage. For the project to qualify for the program, five per cent of employees must be allocated to this source. Currently in the Rodoanel, 29 egressos work either at the plant nursery or helping the veterinary team.