Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi on Saturday spoke with the parents of Anna Sebastian Perayil, the 26-year-old Ernst & Young employee who died allegedly due to extreme work pressure. Over a video call, he offered them his sympathies and said he will ensure the tragedy becomes a catalyst for change.
"I spoke with the heartbroken parents of Anna Sebastian, a bright and ambitious young professional whose life was tragically cut short by toxic and unforgiving work conditions," wrote Mr Gandhi in an online post, sharing a video of their conversation.
I spoke with the heartbroken parents of Anna Sebastian, a bright and ambitious young professional whose life was tragically cut short by toxic and unforgiving work conditions.
— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) September 21, 2024
In the face of unimaginable grief, Anna's mother has shown remarkable courage and selflessness, turning… pic.twitter.com/XY9PXbYAIK
He also praised Anna's mother for showing "remarkable courage and selflessness" and speaking up despite personal loss in the larger interest of improving working conditions of professionals.
During their conversation, Mr Gandhi asked Anna's parents how the atmosphere was at her workplace - "Was it very toxic? What was going on?"
Her mother replied with a "yes".
"She (Anna) used to always say that they had very long working hours. They have to work continuously. Night, Saturday, Sunday. No restrictions. Children are made to work like that. Mainly the young employees, new ones. She had no time even for her personal things," she said while sobbing on the video call.
"She called me every night and she would say 'Amma, I can't speak, I'm dead tired. I am going to sleep.' Even when she came back from office, she just (used to) drop on her bed. So exhausted," she added.
Anna's mother went on to say that children are subjected to torture and made to "work like slaves".
"Rahul ji, what I have to say is, only in India, children are subjected to such torture. If it is outside India, will they ask their employees to work like this? They say we have received freedom in 1947, but our children are still working like slaves. Even now they are working like slaves. Children who study so hard to reach where they are, being put through so much slavery, why? Why are our children made to suffer like this?" she added.
Mr Gandhi asked them if they want him to raise the issue in parliament. They said yes.
"We are fully with you. However we can support your cause, we are happy to do it," he said, assuring Anna's parents that he will fight for this cause in his capacity as the Leader of the Opposition.
Anna Perayil, a Chartered Accountant from Kerala who worked at EY India, died allegedly due to work-related stress, sparking a nationwide debate over work-life balance and corporate accountability.
In a statement on Wednesday, EY said that it is deeply saddened by Anna's untimely death and that it will continue to improve and provide a healthy workplace in its offices across the country.
The Union Labour Ministry has begun a probe into the circumstances that led to the EY employee's death.
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