'Will Raise Issues In Parliament': Shashi Tharoor On 'Stressful' Work Environment After EY Worker's Death

The tragic death of Anna Sebastian has sparked concerns about workplace pressure. Tharoor vowed to push for legislation limiting work hours in private sector.

The tragic death of 26-year-old Anna Sebastian Perayil, a chartered accountant at Ernst & Young (EY) in Pune, has raised serious concerns about work pressure in high-stress environments. Congress leader Shashi Tharoor shared that he had a deeply emotional conversation with Anna's father, Shri Sibi Joseph. Tharoor emphasised their agreement on the need to address this issue by proposing legislation in Parliament for a fixed calendar to regulate working hours across all workplaces.

Tharoor Rection On The Incident

On the microblogging site X, Mr Tharoor, a Member of Parliament from Kerala's Thiruvananthapuram, announced that Anna passed away from a cardiac arrest after "four months of deeply stressful, seven-day weeks of 14-hour days" at the Big Four accounting firm.

"Had a deeply emotional and heartrending conversation with Shri Sibi Joseph, the father of young Anna Sebastian, who passed away after a cardiac arrest, following four months of deeply stressful seven-day weeks of 14 hours a day at Ernst&Young," the post read.

'He suggested, and I agreed, that I raise the issue of legislating, through Parliament, a fixed calendar for all workplaces, whether in the private sector or the public, that would not exceed eight hours a day, five days a week," Thiruvananthapuram MP said.

Had a deeply emotional and heartrending conversation with Shri Sibi Joseph, the father of young Anna Sebastian, who passed away after a cardiac arrest, following four months of deeply stressful seven-day weeks of 14 hours a day at Ernst&Young. He suggested, and I agreed, that I… — Shashi Tharoor (@ShashiTharoor) September 20, 2024

He questioned why human rights don't extend to the workplace and asserted that he would raise this matter at the first opportunity during the next session of Parliament.

"Inhumanity at the workplace must be legislated out of existence with stringent punishment and fines for offenders. Human rights do not stop at the workplace! Will raise this matter at the first opportunity during the next session of parliament," he added.

Anna’s mother, Anita Augustine, recently reached out to EY India Chairman Rajiv Memani, expressing her distress over the overwork within the company. This incident has raised urgent questions about employee well-being in the corporate sector.