MAGYAR POSTA LAUNCHES CAMPAIGN TO PROTECT DELIVERY WORKERS

11 July 2024

In recent years, there has been a significant increase in violent acts against postal staff, especially delivery workers. According to a recent survey conducted by Magyar Posta Zrt., more than a quarter of the public is unaware that assaulting people performing public duties can result in more severe punishment, while a fifth wrongly believes that postal workers are not performing public duties. Together with the Police and the Ambulance Service, Magyar Posta is launching an awareness-raising campaign aimed at improving attitudes towards people performing public duties and affording them greater protection.

In recent years, the number of violent acts against postal staff, especially delivery workers, has increased significantly, by almost ten per cent. One such case occurred in Szolnok in February this year, when a delivery worker was shot with a rubber bullet from a passing car. Attacks like this are mainly due to conflicts over delivery or traffic situations. Violence against persons performing public duties is not confined to the employees of Magyar Posta as this issue also affects the staff of the Ambulance Service. Every year in Hungary, there are 100 to 150 cases of serious aggression against ambulance crew performing public duties. These assaults cause personal injury in some cases and material damage in others, which endangers the emergency response and caring for other patients.

Magyar Posta Zrt. recently conducted a comprehensive survey to find out the public’s opinion as to who they believe to be persons performing public duties, how their safety is regarded, and how aware the public is of the fact that more severe punishments can be imposed for assaulting such persons. The survey revealed that nearly a third of respondents do not know or are not aware that delivery workers and postal clerks are persons performing public duties. Two thirds of respondents assume that postal workers fall into this category, compared to 86% for police officers and 72% for teachers. Almost half of respondents said that they or their immediate family members are persons performing public duties, thus nearly one in two people in Hungary are directly or indirectly affected. However, more than a quarter of the public is unaware that assaulting a person performing a public duty can result in more severe punishment, including imprisonment, while one in two people often hear about such violence. Nevertheless, it is encouraging that the overwhelming majority of people believe that those who do these jobs are doing important work in the public interest and thus protecting them by legal means should be a high priority.

To present the results of the survey, Magyar Posta Zrt. announced at a joint press event organised with the National Police Headquarters and the National Ambulance Service that it would launch an awareness-raising campaign. “Magyar Posta Zrt. is committed to the safety of its employees. To this end, we are improving the security equipment used by the Company, and we are holding regular training sessions so that employees are able to identify and deal with threatening and dangerous situations. We have given the PDAs of our delivery workers an emergency call function that, in the event of an attack, sudden illness or accident, ensures that the Company’s security dispatch service is immediately alerted, providing an accurate address by GPS location. At the same time, the results of the current survey have confirmed that, in order to achieve change, further cooperation and joint action are required in addition to our own endeavours,” said Dr Barnabás Balczó, Chairman and CEO of Magyar Posta Zrt. “Our main goal is to draw attention to the fact that the work of postal staff for the benefit of society is of paramount importance, for which they deserve respect and appreciation, so I ask everyone to take care of the delivery workers,” Dr Balczó added.

The press event was attended by postal delivery workers who wore protective gear used in combat sports instead of their usual postal uniforms. Through this symbolic action, the postal workers were trying to highlight the absurd situation that, while being a delivery worker is not a combat sport, sometimes they can be forced into such situations. Various elements of the campaign will be present in public spaces, online and in the media throughout the rest of the year.

More details on the subject can be found on the page www.posta.hu/postasbiztonsag

Magyar Posta Zrt.