Making the ordinary extraordinary

The health crisis, not only in our country but around practically the whole planet, is a major cause for concern.

Ferrovial Services Spain has taken all the necessary measures to comply strictly with the conditions imposed by the Spanish government during the present State of Alarm. The entire company is committed to giving its best, both quantitatively and qualitatively, to overcome this crisis; that is a key priority for all of us. The public can rest assured that they will receive our full support through the services we continue to deliver in these difficult times.

This serious situation is putting our health at risk in every corner of Spain, with the added difficulty that it is an unprecedented crisis that has altered our daily lives and well-being.

But Ferrovial Services Spain is working hard to combat its effects, and we are confident that we will overcome it.

Speaking personally, and also on behalf of the Management Committee, I would like to say that our thoughts are with the citizens, clients and employees who have lost a loved one and those who are being affected in their personal lives.

We should also thank all the organizations, both public and private, that have worked shoulder to shoulder every day since the beginning of the pandemic, sacrificing themselves for others. And I would especially like to express my gratitude and admiration for Ferrovial Services’ employees. They deserve all our respect and all our support in fighting this disease.

We have doubled shifts. More than 16,000 of our employees are on the front line, delivering critical services. Many of them are transporting COVID-19 patients in ambulances. Others played a very active role in setting up the temporary hospital at the Madrid convention center, while many others are performing cleaning and disinfection in hospitals, handling hospital waste, and providing home telecare and emergency services.

The huge efforts by our people to continue serving more than 25 million of our fellow citizens in the current circumstances is reflected, for example, in street cleaning, including street disinfection in line with the procedure designed by the Ministry of Health, and waste treatment, because it is necessary to continue providing our clients with the essential tools to serve citizens and society as a whole in these difficult times. Road maintenance continues to be essential for transportation, without which essential supplies would not be delivered. Street lighting and  maintenance in our cities and towns is more necessary now than ever because we must also guarantee security on our empty streets.

For all these reasons, Ferrovial Services Spain expresses its most sincere thanks to its employees, who work round the clock to keep our country running and help those who need it most by ensuring that things run as smoothly as possible. Their professionalism, dedication and personal sacrifice are exemplary. They, too, deserve our applause.

Just like the applause that the healthcare personnel at the Hospital Infanta Leonor gave in solidarity to the waste collection workers in the UTE Sur Madrid contract. Also acting in solidarity, we agreed to the request from the Spanish Conquer Cancer Association to provide free parking for oncology patients at the Marqués de Valdecilla University Hospital in Santander, where hospital workers had been parking free of charge since 21 March. And another outstanding example of our solidarity and commitment in the fight against COVID-19 is using 3D printing to produce masks.

These are testing times, in which the ordinary regrettably becomes extraordinary, and we must be more united than ever. We will be able to draw positive conclusions when this is over. I am sure that such aspects as responsibility, coexistence, respect, empathy, duty, civility, mutual aid, solidarity and humanity will be greatly reinforced. In short, we will be better human beings.

Our company has always stood out for its ability to innovate, to react to adversity, and for its commitment to the future. Let us continue working on the basis of those values to regain an eagerly-awaited normality in  the streets of our towns and cities, with the habitual bustle and vitality. Now, more than ever, we must turn things around and, by working together, be the ones to make the ordinary extraordinary.