A woman working with HDFC bank in Uttar Pradesh's Lucknow reportedly died after falling off her chair, an incident being blamed on work stress days after the death of an Ernst & Young (EY) India employee in Maharashtra's Pune that was alleged to be due to the same reason, pressure at workplace.
The deceased, Sadaf Fatima, was working as additional deputy vice-president at HDFC Bank’s Vibuti Khand branch in Lucknow's Gomti Nagar. Sadaf Fatima's colleagues claimed that Fatima died in office after she fell off her chair inside the bank's premises, a News18 report mentioned, adding that she was rushed to a nearby hospital but was declared dead.
Reacting to Fatima's death, Samajwadi Party (SP) supremo Akhilesh Yadav said on microblogging platform X that work pressure and stress has become the same everywhere - from government to private jobs - and people are working out of ‘compulsion’.
"Instead of improving the working conditions, the BJP minister who is lecturing the youth of the country to develop the strength to withstand pressure, is further distressing the youth in this environment of grief, and is requested that if her government cannot provide any solace, cannot bring about any improvement, then it should not do so, but should not increase public anger with its heartless and insensitive advice in the context of this incident," Akhilesh Yadav said in his post.
"The employed people of the country have no hope from BJP because BJP has flourished only with the money of capitalists like them, who increase their profits tremendously by exploiting the employees and share that profit with BJP," he added.
The SP chief appeared to be taking a dig at Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman's recent suggestion that the youth under work pressure need lessons on stress ‘management’.
Pune EY Employee's Death
A 26-year-old woman working with accounting giant Ernst & Young in Maharashtra's Pune died on July 20 due to what her mother said was "excessive workload". The death sent shockwaves among working professionals and raised concerns about stress at work, in which working hard is often confused with overworking at the expense of health.
A heartbreaking letter written by the mother of the 26-year-old Ernst & Young employee Anna Sebastian Perayil addressed to the accounting firm's chairman Rajiv on work culture blames the "four months of EY's callous attitude" for the death of her daughter.
Anna Sebastian Perayil, a chartered accountant from Kerala, had joined Ernst & Young in March, as per her mother's letter, which also mentions that nobody from the company even attended her daughter’s funeral. Anna died on July 20 this year.
Anna, described by her mother as a "fighter" who topped all her examinations in school and college, worked “tirelessly” at EY, “giving her all to meet the demands placed on her”, the letter said.
Amid people raising the issue of work stress on social media and otherwise after Anna's death, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Saturday made a controversial remark that professionals should have inner strength to handle work pressures and this could be achieved through divinity.
On Monday, Sitharaman clarified that she had not shamed the victim in any way and her comments were neither intended to do so.
Sitharaman on Monday issued a post on X to clarify on her statement. "With a sense of grief over the tragic loss, I highlighted the importance of institutions and families to support the children, and in no way victim shaming was done nor intended, even remotely," Sitharaman said.
The Union Labour Ministry has already assured a thorough investigation into the allegations of an exploitative work environment related to the tragic demise, she said.
"Had specifically mentioned that after clearing a demanding and rigorous examination such as CA, the stress on her was unbearable. No names were taken, neither of the lady nor of the firm. The University has set up a Meditation Hall and a place of worship for all its students and faculty. It is in this context that I spoke on how it is necessary to build inner strength for students," she said.
Sitharaman's response was against the post of Priyanka Chaturvedi, MP (Shiv Sena UBT), who alleged that it was the toxic work culture, long work hours that took away her life that needs to be addressed.
