• By Aditya Jha
  • Thu, 19 Sep 2024 03:23 PM (IST)
  • Source:JND
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EY CA Death: Ernst & Young India chairman Rajiv Memani has denied the possibility of work pressure behind the death of Anna Sebastian, a Chartered Accountant at the firm. He said that every employee of the firm has to work hard, but, there are no cases of severe health issues due to the extra working hours. "EY has around 1 lakh employees, and everyone works hard," Memani said amid a controversy over the CA's death allegedly due to work pressure.

"Anna worked with us for four months and was assigned work like every other employee. We don't believe that work pressure could have claimed her life," Memani said, adding, that apart from the immediate assistance, the firm is willing to "cooperate with the family for the future too."

The response came after Anna's mother, through a letter, appealed to the EY Chairman for better working conditions for the employees. She claimed that long and exhausting working hours had a negative impact on Anna's mental and physical health. "Anna used to work continuously for hours that had a huge impact on her," the deceased's mother said in a letter on Tuesday.

Rajiv Memani expressed his grief in his letter to Anna's mother. He said that Anna's death is disheartening, and she is irreplaceable at work. He said, "Anna had a promising career, and no action can compensate for the loss experienced by the family." Rajiv claimed that the firm has acknowledged the tragedy and has assured that the firm will take possible actions to provide comfort and facilities to the employees.

Anna Sebastian Perayil passed away on July 20 while receiving treatment at a hospital in Pune. She was rushed to the hospital after she claimed discomfort, exhaustion and breathlessness. Anna worked as a chartered accountant at SR Batliboi, a part of EY Global.

Meanwhile, the Labour Ministry has initiated a probe into the incident, focussing on the "allegations of an unsafe and exploitative work environment".

"Deeply saddened by the tragic loss of Anna Sebastian Perayil. 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. @mansukhmandviya," Minister of State for Labour Shobha Karandlaje said in a post on X.

Anna's death led to several social media campaigns related to extra working hours. The whole social media has divided over the debate of healthy work ethic and exploitation of employees. EY India had to face a huge backlash after Anna's death.