EY Employee Death: Company Operated In Pune Without Registration, Says Maharashtra Labour Official

A state government investigation in to the death of EY employee Anna Sebastian has revealed that the consultancy firm operated in Pune without adequately registring itself.

Officials from Maharashtra labour commission visited the Pune office of the consulting firm and interviewed officials on Monday, a state official told NDTV, amid an investigation into the death of an associate employee, which her mother blamed on stress.

A preliminary investigation report has been filed with the central government, by the state labour department.

Despite being operational for many years, EY had not registered its Pune office under the Companies Act, the state labour commission said in its report. According to a person in the know, SR Batliboi, the audit firm member under EY, is the only one which remains non-compliant, not the other members.

Global consultancy firms operate in India through domestic audit members, as they are not allowed to offer audit services to Indian companies.

Other details highlighted in the report include information that Sebastian's death was caused by heart disease. The state labour department is likely to submit recommend to the central government to introduce certain specific rules to protect employees.

These include limiting work hours to eight per day. Getting specific written approval from seniors, if the work hours are to be extended. The recommendation also include the requirement that laptops be turned off after eight hours are concluded.

Sebastian's death in July went largely unreported till her mother Anita Augustine sent out a letter to EY India Chairman Rajiv Memani.

The letter quickly went viral, as Augustine pleaded with Memani to pay close attention to the toxic work environment at the consultancy firm. Augustine claimed in the letter that the work culture directly led to Sebastian's death. Many social media users expressed solidarity with Augustine and related to Sebastian's struggles at her work place.

While EY did not confirm any action following Sebastian's death, it did put out a public statement after Augustine's letter came to light.

"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 100,000 people across EY member firms in India," the consultancy said in its statement.