A factory employee collapsed at work and later died, the day after her manager allegedly refused to allow her another day's sick leave.
The worker, a 30-year-old woman from Sukhothai province identified only as May, was an employee at an electronics plant in Bang Pu Industrial Estate in Samut Prakan province.
A Facebook page carried screenshots of her colleagues' group chat, with a message announcing her death after she was not allowed another sick-day off. The post generated widespread negative comment about the company throughout social media.
According to a friend of the dead woman, May had first taken leave with a medical certificate from Sept 5 to 9, after she was diagnosed with an inflamed large intestine. She spent four days in hospital.
After she left the hospital, May told her friend that her condition had not improved. She subsequently decided to take two more days off.
On the evening of Sept 12, May asked the manager for sick leave on Sept 13, saying her condition had deteriorated even further. The manager said she had to come in to work and submit another medical certificate first, since she had already taken many sick days off.
Fearing she might lose her job, May went to work on Sept 13 despite still feeling very ill. She collapsed after working for just 20 minutes, her friend said.
May was rushed to a hospital and sent immediately for emergency surgery. She was pronounced dead on the evening of the following day, last Saturday.
On Monday, her employer, Delta Electronics Thailand, announced her death on its Facebook page, and offered condolences.
