Staff at Siemens Gamesa have set up a donation fund to the International Federation of Red Cross, with the total amount to be matched by the company, in response the coronavirus pandemic.
The employee donation campaign to the ‘COVID-19 Emergency Appeal’ by the Red Cross is one of a several actions taken by the wind turbine manufacturer to support efforts to mitigate the outbreak.
They include a pledge to fund the acquisition of vital supplies to healthcare providers to the value of €1m.
The donations will be targeted to hospitals in communities in which Siemens Gamesa operates and that have been “particularly badly hit” by the crisis, said the company.
Donations will initially be made in Spain, in Madrid and Bilbao, in France, in Le Havre, in the UK, in Hull, and the US, in Florida, Iowa and Kansas.
Items and products include personal protection equipment, like masks and gloves, which have been requested by several hospitals.
The company will source these via its own procurement and distribution networks.
A “significant reserve” will be retained for deployment in other countries as and when there is demand as the crisis continues.
Siemens Gamesa will also refocus its existing corporate social responsibility plan, ‘SGRE impact’, to support COVID-19 recovery efforts.
The programme allows employees to nominate projects and they have been invited to propose causes set up to address the current crisis.
Meanwhile Siemens Gamesa has also launched an educational initiative, called ‘Teaching the Future’, where employees can record motivational videos on science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) subjects, as well as digitalisation or renewable energy.
The videos aim to help students of all ages who are confined at home during the pandemic. They will be shared on the company’s website and social media networks.
“The coronavirus is both huge in its global reach but also very personal in its impact, touching us all. I am proud that our staff are taking the initiative to lead our global response to this crisis and pleased that we will be able to play a role in the communities in which we have close links.
“As a company we will play our part to help combat the crisis and put us back on the path to creating a sustainable future,” said Siemens Gamesa chief executive Markus Tacke.