Labor department officials arrived at the Pune office of Ernst & Young (EY) company in Maharashtra on Tuesday (September 24) to investigate the death of 26-year-old CA Anna Sebastian. The investigation revealed that the EY company has been operating without state permission since 2007.
Maharashtra Additional Labor Commissioner Shailendra Paul said the company did not have the certificate issued under the Shops and Establishments Act. This law allows an employee to work for a maximum of 9 hours (48 hours a week) in any company.
In fact, Anna died of a heart attack on July 20. According to reports, he suffered a cardiac arrest due to the workload. A few days before his death, when his parents came to Pune to meet him, he complained of chest pain. After seeing the doctor, it comes to know that Anna is worried because of the office work load.
Labor department said – EY company should get a reply within 7 days Additional Labor Commissioner Shailendra Paul's team reached the company's Pune office to investigate the matter. Shailendra Paul further said that the company applied for registration with the Labor Department in February this year. We rejected it because the company has been running since 2007 so why the application has not been filed till now. We have given EY Company 7 days to respond.
Anna joined the company in March, died within 5 months CA Anna, a resident of Kerala, joined Ernst & Young on March 19. On July 6, when Anna's parents came to meet her in Pune, she complained of chest pain. After seeing the doctor, it comes to know that Anna is worried because of the office work load.
Anna's parents say that their daughter returned to the office after seeing the doctor. Came home late at night and left again early the next morning. After which Anna died on July 20. No one from the company where Anna died while working did not even attend her funeral.
Many employees had resigned before Anna's death Anna's mother Anita Augustine wrote to Chairman Rajiv Memani asking him to fix the toxic work culture of his company. Anita also claimed that many employees had resigned due to the workload. That is why her daughter's boss stopped Anna from resigning.
Also said that Anna's manager often rescheduled meetings during cricket matches. At the end of the day, he would hand over work to her, which would only add to her stress.
Political uproar over Anna's death, Congress-BJP face off
September 22: Sitharaman said- CA lacked confidence On September 22, Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman gave a statement on the death of CA Anna. He said that women cannot bear the pressure of work. Strength to bear pressure comes from God, so take refuge in God.
Regarding this, Shiv Sena MP Priyanka Chaturvedi said that during her CA studies, Anna developed the strength to bear pressure, but she lost her life due to toxic work culture and long working hours. You stop victim shaming and be a little more sensitive. God will help you if you try.
Congress General Secretary said – this statement is inhuman Congress general secretary KC Venugopal said the finance minister's statement that Anna's family should teach her stress management at home is unfair and inhumane. This kind of accusation against the victim is disgusting. It is difficult to put into words the anger and disgust felt at such statements.
Venugopal said-
Anna's parents are still trying to recover from this grief. After this news of a toxic office environment, an honest debate on corporate practices should begin. So that necessary changes can be made for the safety of employees.
Sitharaman's clarification – I did not shame the victim After controversy arose over his statement, the finance minister clarified that he had not victim-shamed, nor did he intend to. I clearly said that she was under a lot of pressure after clearing a tough exam like CA. I have not named anyone, neither the woman nor the company.
At the university in Tamil Nadu where I was giving a speech, a meditation hall has been built for students and facilities. It is in this context that I said how important it is to develop inner strength in students. I am also saddened by this incident. I just pointed out the fact that institutions and families have to support children. The Ministry of Labor has ordered an inquiry into the matter.
September 21: Rahul speaks to Anna's family on video call
Rahul Gandhi spoke to Anna's family over a video call on September 21. Meanwhile, he said that he will definitely raise this issue. Rahul directed AIPC president Praveen Chakraborty to conduct an awareness campaign in memory of Anna, so that the interests of working people can be protected.
Rahul said that the Congress will soon issue a helpline number for corporate professionals. In which issues related to work stress and work culture can be discussed. This will solve the problem of people working in the corporate sector.
Image Credit: (Divya-Bhaskar): Images/graphics belong to (Divya-Bhaskar).
