Raising the issue in Parliament, Rajya Sabha MP Saket Gokhale declared on Thursday, September 19, two days after the death of an Ernst & Young (EY) employee became public knowledge. He added that a letter had been forwarded to Maharashtra’s labor secretary. The TMC MP has demanded an immediate probe into the working conditions at EY, which are claimed to have contributed to the death of Anna Sebastian Perayil on July 20, drawing attention to the state of workers in private companies throughout India. The incident only gained further attention after her mother Anita Augustine’s letter to EY’s India head went viral on Tuesday, September 17.
Saket Gokhale issued an official statement, saying, “It is deeply unsettling and worrisome to read Anita Augustine’s letter, in which she tells how her daughter, Anna Sebastian Perayil, died as a result of overwork in a toxic work environment at her workplace.”Many employee accounts state that such conditions are common in many consultancies and other private companies,” the speaker stated. This can’t happen! There are enough rules in place to shield workers against deceptive business tactics, inadequate pay, and being required to put in excessive overtime. The problem is that when powerful firms and multinationals are involved, the government, which is in charge of upholding these rules, frequently looks the other way.
With Anna’s passing, EY is scrutinized On July 20, while undergoing treatment at a city hospital, Anna Sebastian Perayil, a chartered accountant who worked for SR Batliboi, a member firm of EY Global in Yerawada, Pune, passed away. She had complained of fatigue and felt sick, leading to her admission. She originally told her colleagues that she had had a heart attack.