Anna Sebastian Perayil death: Shashi Tharoor bats for eight-hour, five-day work week, promises legislation

Congress MP from Kerala, Shashi Tharoor, on Friday met the parents of Anna Sebastian Perayil, the 26-year-old Chartered Accountant at Ernst & Young (EY), who passed away in July due to alleged work pressure. Stating that "Inhumanity at the workplace must be legislated out of existence," the Lok Sabha MP from Thiruvananthapuram promised to initiate legislation on this front.??

CREDIT: BCCL

Workplace practices should be legislated

"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 raise the issue of legislating, through Parliament," Tharoor said.??

Eight-hour, five-day work week

He suggested that there should be a fixed calendar for all workplaces and that work should not exceed eight hours a day.??

"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," Tharoor said.?

Also read:?Anna Sebastian Perayil death: Labour Ministry launches probe into EY's unsafe work environment

CREDIT: Pexels

'Human rights do not stop at workplace'

Promising to raise the matter at the first opportunity during the next session of parliament, Tharoor said, "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."??

Following the death of Anna Sebastian Perayil in July, her mother, Anita Augustine, in a letter to the EY India Chairperson Rajiv Memani, had alleged that her daughter was working 14–18 hours a day, including on weekends.?

CREDIT: BCCL

Anita had also blamed the "glorification" of overwork at EY India and the lack of support from Anna's manager for her daughter's untimely death.

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