SR Batliboi, a member firm of the Ernst & Young Global network of accounting firms, has operated its office in Pune since 2007 without a permit from the state government that would have regulated its employees’ working hours, reported The Hindu.
The global accounting firm is facing an investigation in India after the death of 26-year-old Anna Sebastian Perayil, who passed away in July allegedly due to work-related stress she was facing at the affiliate firm.
In a letter to Ernst & Young India Chairman Rajiv Memani, Perayil’s mother Anita Augustine attributed her daughter’s death to “backbreaking work” conditions.
On Monday, officials from the Maharashtra government’s labour department conducted a day-long inspection of the SR Batliboi office, reported The Hindu.
“We have found that though they have been operating there since 2007, but they had not registered under the Shops and Establishments Act,” Additional Labour Commissioner Shailendra Pol told The Hindu. “This is a major irregularity.”
Pol said the company has been given seven days to comply with the Act.
On September 19, the Union government announced that it is investigating allegations of an exploitative work environment at Ernst & Young’s India offices.
The Maharashtra labour department recorded statements from a few employees and sought documents concerning the firm’s employment welfare policies, reported The Hindu.
“We sought data about Anna Sebastian Perayil’s case as well,” Pol said. “We sought her appointment letter, her salary slip and her compensation details. We got details about her employment period. The team found that Rs 28.50 lakh was deposited in her account for her employment for the period from March 11, 2024, to July 19, 2024.”
The company told the officials that they provided employees with twice their usual remuneration for working extra hours. “They also said that the employees are given comp offs [compensatory holidays] for extra work hours. As per preliminary information, Anna was given comp off,” Pol added.
The company was also asked to submit physical copies of its digital registers within seven days.
A statement from Ernst & Young on Tuesday said that its affiliate firm was “providing its full cooperation to the Ministry of Labour in its investigation”, reported The Hindu.
Augustine had said in her letter that Perayil “would return to her room utterly exhausted, sometimes collapsing on the bed without even changing her clothes, only to be bombarded with messages asking for more reports”.
Augustine had added: “She was putting in her best efforts, working very hard to meet the deadlines”.
Limited-time offer: Big stories, small price. Keep independent media alive. Become a Scroll member today!
Our journalism is for everyone. But you can get special privileges by buying an annual Scroll Membership. Sign up today!