A factory employee in Thailand collapsed at work and later died, the day after her manager allegedly refused to allow her another day’s sick leave unless she first submitted a new medical certificate, reports the Bangkok Post. 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 Muang district of 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 May, she had first taken leave with a medical certificate from 5 to 9 September, 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 12 September, May asked the manager for sick leave on 13 September, 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 13 September despite still feeling very ill. May was rushed to a hospital and sent immediately for emergency surgery and was subsequently pronounced dead.

According to her friends, May had no history of taking sick leave before her recent illness. Her employer, Delta Electronics Thailand, said in an announcement, “At this moment, we are still in the process of establishing the facts surrounding her passing and have initiated a thorough investigation. Our goal is to create a better understanding of the situation while ensuring we provide the necessary support to her family.”