'Will raise issue in Parliament…': Tharoor on corporate work culture
Congress leader and Thiruvananthapuram MP Shashi Tharoor has called for a legislation mandating an eight-hour workday, five days a week. This comes in the wake of public outrage over the death of 26-year-old chartered accountant Anna Sebastian Perayil from Ernst and Young (EY). In a post on X, Tharoor said that "human rights do not stop at work" and advocated for a fixed calendar across all workplaces.
Tharoor's conversation with deceased employee's father
Tharoor shared details of his conversation with Perayil's father, Sibi Joseph, who described the intense work pressure his daughter experienced at EY. "Had a deeply emotional and heartrending conversation with Shri Sibi Joseph...He suggested, and I agreed, that I raise the issue of legislating...a fixed calendar for all workplaces...that would not exceed eight hours a day, five days a week," Tharoor wrote on X. He further assured that this matter will be brought up during the next parliamentary session.
Read Tharoor's post here
Perayil's parents seek justice and workplace reform
Perayil, who joined EY Pune in March 2024, passed away four months later in July. Her mother, Anita Augustine, has written an emotional letter to EY India Chairman Rajiv Memani, seeking justice and calling for reforms within the organization. "I am writing this letter as a grieving mother who has lost her precious child...my world collapsed when I received the devastating news that Anna had passed away," she wrote.
EY expresses condolences, promises action
EY has expressed deep sadness over Perayil's untimely passing and extended condolences to her family. "That her promising career was cut short in this tragic manner is an irreparable loss for all of us," the company stated. EY India Chairman Rajiv Memani also issued a statement expressing his personal grief and assuring that he "would not rest" until a harmonious workplace is achieved.
