Woman denied sick leave; dies just 20 minutes into her shift

PTC Web Desk: A 30-year-old woman in Thailand, identified only as May, died just one day after her manager denied her request for sick leave, raising significant concerns about work-life balance in the workplace. May was employed at an electronics plant in Samut Prakan province.

As reported by the Bangkok Post, May had been diagnosed with an inflamed large intestine and had taken sick leave from September 5 to September 9, backed by a medical certificate. After four days of hospitalisation, she returned home but continued to feel unwell and sought two additional days of sick leave.

On September 12, May requested another day off, explaining that her condition had deteriorated. However, her manager insisted she return to work and obtain a new medical certificate since she had already exhausted many sick days. Concerned about her job security, May reported to work on September 13, but collapsed just 20 minutes into her shift, according to a friend.

She was immediately taken back to the hospital, where she underwent emergency surgery but sadly succumbed to necrotising enterocolitis the following day.

In response to the tragedy, Delta Electronics Thailand issued a statement on September 17 expressing deep sorrow over May’s death. The company stated it was “devastated” by the loss and would conduct an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the incident. Victor Cheng, CEO of Delta Electronics (Thailand) PCL, stated in a Facebook post, “At Delta Electronics, our people are the foundation of our success, and we are devastated by this loss. Our priority is to provide unwavering support to the employee’s family during this difficult time.”