E-Paper
TMC MP urges Centre to bring laws to end ‘toxic work culture’ in private sector
TMC MP Saket Gokhale claimed that there has been a groundswell of complaints on social media complaining about “toxic work culture” mostly in the private sector
Trinamool Congress (TMC) MP Saket Gokhale urged the Centre on Friday to bring laws that ensure “good working conditions” in the private sector, as he alleged that working professionals are “dying due to work-related stress”.
During Zero Hour in the Rajya Sabha, Gokhale pointed out to the recent deaths of chartered accountant Anna Sebastian in Pune due to alleged “extreme work pressure” and journalist Satish Nandgaonkar allegedly due to “a toxic work environment”.
“This toxic work culture and the deprivation of people are issues that this house needs to take seriously. People who are employed need a healthy work culture, and those who work deserve to be paid,” news agency PTI quoted Gokhale as saying.
Also read | Lucknow: HDFC Bank employee dies after falling off chair, peers allege ‘work pressure’
The TMC MP claimed that there has been a groundswell of complaints on social media, after these incidents, where people often complain about “toxic work culture”. Gokhale also claimed that employees are made to work long hours and are subjected to insults. “A lot of this is happening in the private sector,” he said.
“We are talking about private companies. Bengal means business; we have more than 4.5 lakh active companies, and the IT sector alone employs more than 2.6 lakh people. So, private sector reform is very important. This year, corporate taxes were lower than income taxes. Who are the people paying the income tax? The people working in private companies,” he said.
Also read | EY Pune employee’s tragic death reminds people of Narayana Murthy's controversial ‘70-hour work week’ remark
Gokhale also urged for laws that ensure overtime pay in Indian companies and ensure that employees are not made to work long hours.
“There is no overtime pay provision in contracts in India. Employees are made to work 8-10-12 hours. Many employees work in client-facing roles, where they are subject to the whims of clients. There is a need for labour laws to regulate this,” he added.
(With PTI inputs)
