Congress launches ‘For Anna For All’ workplace wellness campaign

The move follows the recent death of Anna Sebastian, a 26-year-old chartered accountant from Kochi, allegedly because of work stress. All India Professionals’ Congress (AIPC) Praveen Chakravarty said suggestions of workplace guidelines formulated through the campaign will be forwarded to the Centre through the LoP’s office.

The All India Professionals’ Congress (AIPC) has launched a ‘Speak Up’ campaign for professionals to ensure workplace wellness, AIPC chairperson Praveen Chakravarty said on Saturday. The move follows the recent death of Anna Sebastian, a 26-year-old chartered accountant from Kochi, allegedly because of work stress.

Addressing a press conference at the All India Congress Committee (AICC) headquarters, Mr. Chakravarty said that the campaign, called ‘For Anna For All: Workplace Wellness’, would focus on the stressful and toxic working conditions, and provide a platform for professionals to air their grievances.

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The AIPC chief referred to his meeting with the parents of Ms. Anna as well as the video call conversation of the Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi with them. He said Mr. Gandhi had assured the parents that he would take up the cause of working professionals. He added that they had urged Mr. Gandhi to ensure that no other ‘Annas’ die of work stress.

Mr. Chakravarty said the ‘For Anna For All: Workplace Wellness’ campaign is a multi-phase programme; first feedback, stories and experiences will be collected by professionals; then they will be shared with experts to formulate workplace guidelines for all sectors; eventually, these suggestions will be forwarded to the government through the LoP’s office and other fora.

He said that as many as 3,000 employees of a Hyderabad-based IT company had written to AIPC about the poor working conditions. He also referred to the letter written by 500 officials of the Security and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) to the Centre alleging “toxic work culture”.

“This is not an issue where the Opposition is making a charge against the government. This is an issue for us as a nation as we need to come together to resolve it constructively, collectively and cooperatively,” Mr. Chakravarty said.

Published - October 05, 2024 09:55 pm IST