EY India employee's death: Probe on, committed to ensuring justice, says govt
The Union Labour Ministry said it had taken up an open letter written to the company by the late Anna Sebastian Perayil’s mother as a complaint
Amid widespread outrage over the way alleged relentless work killed a newly recruited young woman employee at Ernst and Young’s (EY) India office, the government said on Thursday (September 19) it had ordered an investigation.
The Union labour ministry said it had taken up an open letter written to the company by the late Anna Sebastian Perayil’s mother as a complaint and it will probe the circumstances that led to the death on July 20.
What minister said
"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,” minister of state for labour Shobha Karandlaje said on X.
“We are committed to ensuring justice and @LabourMinistry has officially taken up the complaint,” the minister said.
She was responding to a post by BJP leader Rajeev Chandrasekhar, who described Anna's death as "very sad but also disturbing at many levels".
He also sought a probe into her family's allegations of an exploitative work environment at Ernst and Young India.
The company initially kept silent on the mother’s letter to company chairman Rajiv Memani. But it once leaked on social media, the moving communication, nailing the multinational’s gross work culture, triggered universal disgust.
What company said
Ernst & Young India said on Wednesday it was deeply saddened by Anna's death and was taking the family's correspondence with the "utmost seriousness and humility".
“While no measure can compensate for the loss experienced by the family, we have provided all the assistance as we always do in such times of distress and will continue to do so," the statement said.
"We are taking the family's correspondence with the utmost seriousness and humility. We place the highest importance on the well-being of all employees and will continue to find ways to improve and provide a healthy workplace for our 1,00,000 people across EY member firms in India," the company added.