Chennai Widow Fights For Compensation As Husband Dies After Losing Job Amid Pandemic

Kameswari's 48-year-old husband, Ramesh Subramanian, an MBA who worked as a Project Manager died due to COVID-19 in June, less than two months after he was allegedly forced to resign by Synamedia Private Ltd, the company he worked for in Chennai.

While the pandemic witnessed massive job losses and employees were often being forced to resign by companies, a widow of one such person who died of COVID-19 two months after he lost his job is fighting a unique battle with the company, demanding compensation and insurance benefits the family would have been entitled to, had he been allowed to serve the mandatory notice period.

Kameswari, a former teacher is shattered. Her 48-year-old husband, Ramesh Subramanian, an MBA who worked as a Project Manager died due to COVID-19 in June - less than two months after he was allegedly forced to resign by Synamedia Private Ltd, the company he worked for in Chennai. She has a son to look after.

The nightmare she says began on April 8th and 9th. "The HR connected with Ramesh on Zoom and told him he had to resign as part of their retrenchment drive." Ramesh, she adds, pleaded with them "to allow him to serve the mandatory two-month notice period as given in his appointment order so he could find a new job." A few days later the company asked him "to put in his papers or face termination which would jeopardise his career." On the 13th, he gave his resignation letter and he was relieved on the 16th.

Ramesh, who earned around 30 lakh annually, Kameswari says was traumatised after he lost his job. Things turned worse after he contracted the virus within a month. Though the family spent 18 lakh for his treatment, he died on 11th June. Had he been allowed to serve the notice period as per the contract, she argues, "He would have been covered by the company's term insurance, health insurance, and EPF insurance and the family would have got more than 1.5 crores in the event of this eventuality."