 "Ernst and Young, EY")
EY India later issued a statement describing Anna’s death as an “irreparable loss” to the firm. Photo: Bloomberg
The Centre on Thursday announced that it has launched an investigation into allegations made by the mother of Anna Sebastian Perayil regarding an exploitative work environment at EY India.
Perayil, who was part of the audit team at SR Batliboi, a member firm of EY Global in Pune, passed away in July this year. Later, in a letter to EY India Chairman Rajiv Memani, her mother, Anita Augustine, attributed her daughter’s death to the “backbreaking work” at the company.
“Deeply saddened by the tragic loss of Anna Sebastian Perayil,” wrote Shobha Karandlaje, Minister of State for Labour and Employment, on the social media platform X on Thursday.
“A thorough investigation into the allegations of an unsafe and exploitative work environment is underway. We are committed to ensuring justice, and the Labour Ministry has officially taken up the complaint,” she added.
Karandlaje’s comments came in response to a post by former Union Minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar, who shared a news article on the incident and described it as “disturbing at many levels.”
“I request the Government of India, @mansukhmandviya and @ShobhaBJP, to investigate these allegations made by the mother regarding an unsafe and exploitative work environment that claimed the life of the young, promising Anna Sebastian Perayil,” he wrote.
In the viral letter, Anna’s mother detailed the work environment at the company.
“Anna would return to her room utterly exhausted, sometimes collapsing on the bed without even changing her clothes, only to be bombarded with messages asking for more reports. She was putting in her best efforts, working very hard to meet deadlines,” Augustine wrote.
This prompted an online debate about work-life balance, with several other employees from the Big Four sharing similar experiences.
EY India later issued a statement describing Anna’s death as an “irreparable loss” to the firm.
“That her promising career was cut short in this tragic manner is an irreparable loss for all of us,” the statement read. “While no measure can compensate for the loss experienced by the family, we have provided all assistance, as we always do in such times of distress, and will continue to do so,” it added.
First Published: Sep 19 2024 | 1:16 PM IST
