The Labor Minister has said that the investigation into Anna’s death has begun and will take seven to 10 days. The report will come during the day. But what will be the report? Is there any privacy regarding the practice of long working hours?
After the death of Ernst & Young (E&Y) employee Anna Sebastian Perayil became a big issue on social media, there has been a momentary stir in the sensitivity of Indian politicians regarding the inhumanity hidden in long working hours. Leaders from Anna’s home state, Kerala, seem to be more hurt. Congress MP Shashi Tharoor has announced to introduce a private member bill to limit working hours. Tharoor has said that ‘no one should work more than eight hours a day’. Seeing the matter getting heated, ruling party leaders also jumped into the controversy. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman advised colleges and institutions to arrange training for their students to handle work stress. Minister of State for Labor Shobha Karandjale announced an investigation into the matter. Now Labor Minister Mansukh Mandaviya has said that the investigation has started and the report will come in seven to 10 days. But what will be the report? Is there any secrecy in the practice of long working hours? This is a part of today’s work culture, which the governments themselves have contributed to promoting.
Infosys founder Narayan Murthy has openly advocated 70 hours of work per week for his employees. In a letter to his mother, Anna had said that he is paying the price of workload, new environment and long working hours physically, emotionally and mentally. But is this the story of just one employee? E&Y is a multinational company. Jobs there are considered high profile. Its employees are part of the upper middle class. Perhaps this is also a reason due to which Anna’s death became an issue and could touch the sentiments of politicians. Otherwise, at the same time, workers are on strike in the Tamil Nadu-based Samsung company. Improvement in working conditions is also one of their main demands. But how many people have this news? So, overall it is a matter of social media storm, which will return to status quo even after the politicians’ sentiments subside.