Father of an EY employee who died of “overwork”

Cochin:

Sibi Joseph, the father of Pune-based chartered accountant Anna Sebastian Perayil (26), who died of “work-related stress”, said on Thursday that the family had no plans to take legal action against the company.

Perayil, who worked at SR Batliboi, an EY Global member firm, in Pune, near Yerawada in the Indian state of Maharashtra, died on July 21. Her mother had claimed that Perayil died as a result of a “grueling workload” and “work-related stress.”

However, Minister of State for Labour and Employment Shobha Karandlaje assured that a proper investigation would be conducted. “We are deeply saddened by the tragic loss of Anna Sebastian Perayil. A thorough investigation into allegations of an unsafe and exploitative work environment is underway,” Ms Karandlaje said in a post on X.

Deeply saddened by the tragic loss of Anna Sebastian Perayil. A thorough investigation into allegations of an unsafe and exploitative work environment is underway. We are committed to justice and @Ministry of Labour has officially accepted the complaint.@mansukhmandviyahttps://t.co/1apsOm594d

— Shobha Karandlaje (@ShobhaBJP) 19 September 2024

The MoS said this in response to a post by BJP leader Rajeev Chandrasekhar, who described Anna's death as “very sad but also disturbing on many levels”.

“I urge the Government of India @mansukhmandviya @ShobhaBJP to investigate these allegations made by the mother that an unsafe and exploitative work environment claimed the life of young, promising Anna Sebastian Perayil,” Mr Chandrasekhar said.

According to her colleagues, the cause of death was cardiac arrest.

Mr Joseph said his daughter was a very active person and played badminton and jogged with him at home.

“She completed her CA in February this year and joined the company in March. We spoke to her every day and her biggest gripe was the extreme work pressure. She was involved in an audit at Bajaj Auto. Most days, she would work until 12.30 am and would be back at her paid accommodation by 1.30 am,” said Mr Joseph.

“She hardly got any sleep and also could not eat properly due to her working hours. She often complained about this and eventually we told her to quit the job. But she said she would continue working as it was a reputed company,” Mr Joseph added.

“In July, we visited her and took her to a cardiologist. After the examination, he said my daughter was perfectly healthy and all she needed was adequate sleep and proper nutrition,” added Mr Joseph.

“My wife wrote the letter to the CEO to ensure that this cannot happen to anyone, even if our daughter is no longer here. We will also not take any legal action against the company,” Joseph said.

However, the company denied that “work pressure” could have led to her death.

“We have around 100,000 employees. There is no doubt that each of them has to work hard. Anna worked with us for only four months. She was assigned work like any other employee. We don't think the work pressure could have cost her life,” said Rajiv Memani, Chairman, EY India.

The company also issued a statement expressing its condolences over the death.

“Anna was part of the audit team at SR Batliboi, a member firm of EY Global, in Pune for a short period of four months, joining the firm on March 18, 2024. That her promising career has ended in this tragic manner is an irreparable loss for all of us. While nothing can compensate for the family's loss, we have provided her with all possible assistance, as we always do in such times of need, and will continue to do so,” said Mr. Memani.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)