Eminent writer, diplomat, and Congress MP for Thiruvananthapuram Shashi Tharoor has appealed to the Minister of Labour and Employment Mansukh Mandaviya to restrict employees' working hours. Tharoor said that currently, long working hours at the office are causing depression, anxiety, and physical ailments such as hypertension and diabetes in the youth.
Tharoor requested Mandaviya “to prioritise the implementation of laws that restrict working hours and ensure their strict enforcement”.
Tharoor's statement
“These legal measures must be complemented by mandatory sensitisation workshops, counselling services, and well-being activities for employees and management to emphasise the importance of work-life balance for physical and mental health. I also urge the Minister to establish a grievance redressal mechanism through surveys, annual reports, and anonymous feedback channels which can be overseen by the internal committees, formed within organisations, operating under ministry-guided protocols,” the MP suggested.
Citing the tragic work-stress-caused death of Anna Sebastian Perayil, a chartered account at Ernst & Young, Tharoor said the government should urgently take measures to promote work-life balance and humane working conditions.
Incidentally, the EY employee’s mother, Anita Augustine blamed the company’s work culture for her daughter’s untimely death. “The workload, new environment, and long hours took a toll on her physically, emotionally, and mentally,” she wrote to the company.
During the Zero Hour (Question Hour for the MPs), Tharoor quoted International Labour Organisation data disclosed that 51 per cent of India's workforce exceeds 49 working hours per week making India the second country with the longest working hours.
Notably, Congress MP B Mannickam Tagore called for legislation to protect contractual workers on Wednesday by ensuring fair wages, job security and social benefits.
"I want to bring your attention to the plight of gig economy workers particularly those at Amazon India, including the warehouse staff and delivery persons who are protesting against unfair wages and unsafe working conditions. These workers earn less than Rs 10,000 a month while enduring long hours and immense pressure.
"Amazon claims to offer PF and insurance but the reality is far from these promises. The ongoing protest during the Black Friday event underscores the inequality in our economy and exploitation faced by these workers," Tagore said. [Source: Business Standard]
Also read: CEO Aadit Palicha Reacts After Viral Post Accuses Zepto of Toxic Work Culture (startuppedia.in)
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