Nascent Information Technology Employees Senate (NITES) - a union of Technology (IT) and Information Technology Enabled Services (ITES) employees, and former Union Minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar have demanded an independent and thorough investigation into the death of Anna Sebastian Perayil (26), a Chartered Accountant working at Ernst & Young (EY).
Anna, a resident of Kochi in Kerala, tragically passed away on July 20, four months after starting her role at Ernst & Young in Pune. Her mother Anita Augustine alleged that Anna died due to the “overwhelming work pressure.”
NITES, which advocates for the rights and welfare of ITES employees, wrote a letter to the Ministries of Labour & Employment and Home Affairs on September 19, expressing that the death of the young employee has raised “serious concerns about the mental health and safety of employees” in high pressure corporate environments.
The union also faulted the organisation for not attending the funeral of the young employee.
“It is deeply concerning that no representative from the company attended her funeral, demonstrating a star disregard for the value of human life and the well-being of their employees. Such incidents not only point to a toxic work culture but also highlight the urgent need for systemic changes to prevent further loss of life,” the letter read.
They urged the government to initiate an impartial investigation into the matter to get a “much-needed clarity regarding the work conditions and practices at EY”, as well as to ensure that those responsible for creating an unhealthy and hazardous work environment are held accountable. “Furthermore, the investigation should focus on whether the company complied with the legal and ethical obligations to ensure the mental health and safety of its employees,” NITES said and added that the government should use this as an opportunity to review the working conditions across the IT and finance sectors.
Former Minister and BJP leader Rajeev Chandrasekhar said that the death was “disturbing at many levels” and requested the government to investigate the allegations of unsafe and exploitative work environment.
Responding to her colleague’s appeal for an inquiry, the Union Minister of State for Labour and Employment Shobha Karandlaje said that the government has already initiated action to probe the allegations of exploitative work environment. “A thorough investigation into the allegations of an unsafe and exploitative work environment is underway. We are committed to ensuring justice & @LabourMinistry has officially taken up the complaint,” she wrote on X.