Mail deliveries are suspended in areas with a risk of theft in São Paulo.

The 10th Labor Court of Campinas has ordered the Brazilian postal service (Correios) to suspend deliveries of letters and packages in 73 areas with a high number of robberies in Campinas, Jundiaí, and Sumaré, in the interior of São Paulo state. The injunction states that mail carriers will only resume work in these regions once it is proven in court that measures have been taken to guarantee the safety of the workers. 187 robberies of mail carriers have been recorded in the three cities.

December 19, 2013, 23:19 AMUpdated May 27, 2019, 08:04 AM

The 10th Labor Court of Campinas has ordered the Post Office to suspend deliveries of letters and parcels in 73 areas with a high number of robberies in Campinas, Jundiaí, and Sumaré, in the interior of São Paulo state; the injunction states that mail carriers will only resume work in these regions when it is proven in court that measures have been taken to guarantee the safety of the workers; 187 robberies of mail carriers were recorded in the three cities (Photo: Valter Lima).

Daniel Mello
Reporter from Agência Brasil

Sao Paulo - The 10th Labor Court of Campinas today (19) ordered the Post Office to suspend deliveries of letters and parcels in 73 areas with a high number of robberies in Campinas, Jundiaí and Sumaré, in the interior of São Paulo. The injunction granted by Judge Camila Ceroni Scarabelli states that postmen will resume work in the regions only when it is proven, in court, that measures have been adopted to guarantee the safety of the workers. The decision also stipulates a fine of R$ 1 million in case of non-compliance.

In the lawsuit, the Labor Public Prosecutor's Office (MPT) attached several police reports about cases of mail carriers who suffered robberies and kidnappings in the areas mentioned. According to a report from the Union of Postal Workers of Campinas and Region (Sintecas), which is included in the case file, 187 robberies of mail carriers were recorded in the three cities.

The decision also obliges the Post Office to provide legal and psychological assistance to employees who are victims of robberies, in addition to maintaining a 30% risk allowance for employees who are reassigned from high-risk areas.

In a statement, the Brazilian postal service (Correios) announced that it will appeal the decision. The company argues that it signed a cooperation agreement with the Federal Police in São Paulo, which resulted in a 36% decrease in the number of robberies against mail carriers in the state and the arrest of gangs specializing in this type of crime. According to the state-owned company, R$ 240 million is being invested in security services, such as armed escorts and vehicle and package tracking systems.