30-Year-Old Woman In Thailand Dies After Manager Rejects Sick Leave Request
A 30-year-old factory worker in Samut Prakan province Thailand, died after her request for sick leave was denied by her supervisor on Friday. Her name was ‘May’ and she worked at an electronics manufacturing plant owned by Delta Electronics in Thailand. May had been receiving treatment for an inflamed large intestine and took medical leave from September 5-9, supported by a doctor’s note. She was hospitalised for four days and recovered at home for two more days.
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On September 12, May requested further sick leave on account of her difficult plight but her manager declined asking her to return to work with an updated medical certificate. May reported to duty despite her poor health fearing job repercussions. After just 20 minutes on the factory floor, May collapsed and was rushed to a nearby hospital for emergency surgery. Unfortunately, she succumbed to complications from ‘necrotising enterocolitis’ (Intestinal disease) the next day.
Delta Electronics Thailand expressed deep regret over May’s loss, stating, “Our people are the foundation of our success, and we are devastated by this loss.” CEO Victor Cheng announced a full investigation on account of the incident prioritising transparency and support for May’s family. However, this incident has sparked discussions on employee welfare and medical leave policies particularly in industries relying on factory workers and was discussed largely in India as an Ernst & Young (EY) employee Anna Sebastian Perayil committed suicide in Pune due to work pressure earlier this week.
Following Anna’s death, many have raised serious concerns over the toxic work culture and intense workload employees undergo amidst a severe lack of mental health awareness. Several corporate employees have opened up the floodgates as employees across India and other countries have come forward recounting their experiences highlighting the often exploitative environment prevalent in big corporate firms in various countries.
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