All India IT and ITeS Employees’ Union (AIITEU) is deeply concerned about the increasing levels of toxicity in the work culture in the IT/ITeS sector in India. This year, the IT industry has witnessed the untimely passing away of professionals from renowned organisations including Ernst and Young (EY), McKinsey, Bajaj Finance and HDFC Bank.

In July 2024, Anna Sebastian Perayil, a 26 year-old professional of EY succumbed to infernal stress that only came to light in September when Anna’s bereaved mother penned a letter entailing a shocking description of the ordeal that Anna had to go through during her 4-month long employment tenure with EY India, a CMMI Level 5 company. The entire nation was rattled by the news and as the IT industry was making every attempt to come to terms with it, the news of Karthikeyan’s death added to sorrows of the entire fraternity. Karthikeyan, a techie from Chennai, committed suicide by electrocuting himself. Several media reports have alluded to a long history of depression due to work-related stress as the probable cause of suicide. News of employees’ death at Bajaj Finance and HDFC Bank followed in subsequently that instilled a fear of insecurity among all employees of the private sector. The demise of these promising professionals has raised several pertinent questions on the condition of the workers of private sector in India, irrespective of the industry they represent. It is even more alarming that only a handful of such incidents are reported while the rest remain unnoticed.

It is a harsh reality that private enterprises in India enjoy total impunity inspite of the existing legal provisions. The Directive Principles of State Policy (DPSP, Part IV of The Constitution of India) imposes certain duties on the governments. Section 39(e) of the DPSP directs that the government must ensure that the health and strength of workers are not abused and that citizens are not forced by economic necessity to enter avocations unsuited to their age or strength. Section 43 of the DPSP further directs that the government shall endeavour to secure work, a living wage and healthy conditions of work to all workers, ensuring a decent standard of life as well as adequate time for leisure, social and cultural interactions. Moreover, the State list in section 246 of the 7th Schedule of The Constitution of India entitles every state government to set regulations relating to Working Hours and Overtime Payment, Leaves and Holidays and any Special Provisions for Young and/or Women Employees. Usually, every state government has its own Shops and Establishment Act to accommodate these regulations. Despite having sufficient legal provisions, the fact is that these laws are not implemented effectively. To add to the plight of employees, several state governments have exempted the IT/ITeS industry from certain important sections of the Shops and Establishment Acts.

AIITEU holds a firm conviction that the only way to improve the conditions of workplace environment is to ensure that the existing laws are implemented and the archaic ones are adequately amended to address the modern affairs of private sector in India. AIITEU convenes all the workers of IT/ITeS sectors to sign this petition and pledge to join this fight for a much-needed reform of the entire private sector. Only our united efforts can provide a healthy workplace culture to all the employees of private sector.