Labor Court Convicts Banco do Brasil Subsidiary of “Psychological Harassment”

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – A São Paulo labor court has sentenced Banco do Brasil to pay R$250,000 (US$62.500) in a suit for institutional psychological harassment. The state-owned company will still be required to promote changes in internal complaint procedures to curb similar situations.

The case involved Cobra Tecnologia, a bank subsidiary, which rejects the allegations of abuse. The decision will be subject to appeals by both parties.

The Federal Labor Prosecutor’s Office denounced the bank “for demanding abusive goals and discrimination on the grounds of gender, as well as of outsourced employees, in addition to ostensible monitoring of the work environment.”

The bank was charged with psychological harassment promoted by directors, managers, and superiors. According to the denunciation, there was ridicule, downgrading, moral disturbance of workers, surveillance, persecution, and negative scoring in functional assessments.

The defendants’ behavior was challenged in administrative proceedings that, according to Judge Patrícia Almeida Ramos, were not effective.

“These failed to achieve their purpose, since the defendants did not recognize, at the time, the situation described in the case and rejected the charges as improper,” wrote the judge.

Everything Started in 2012

The imbroglio began in 2012, when the Federal Prosecutor’s Office received a confidential denunciation, reporting the alleged “practice of various labor infractions”. The events occurred at the bank’s headquarters in Rua Boa Vista, in São Paulo, and continued after the transfer to Rua Altino Arantes.

At the time, Cobra Tecnologia refused to sign a Conduct Adjustment Agreement. “The denunciations have no grounds because the denouncers no longer work for the company or in the reported facility,” said the defense.

In a note, Banco do Brasil said that it “does not endorse any form of harassment, and has an internal policy for investigating complaints related to the matter, including the establishment of Ethics Committees made up of representatives of the Company’s employees.”

The state-owned company did not comment on the São Paulo court’s ruling. “Concerning the Public Civil Action filed by the Federal Labor Prosecutor’s Office of the 2nd Region in the state of São Paulo, once the ruling is issued, the Banco do Brasil will take the appropriate legal measures,” concludes the text.