Thai worker dies after manager denies additional sick leave, investigation underway

The 30-year-old employee worked at an electronics factory in the Bang Pu Industrial Estate, Muang District, Samut Prakan Province.

Screenshots shared on a Facebook page revealed a group chat among her colleagues, which included a message announcing her death after she was denied additional sick leave, according to the Bangkok Post.

A friend of the deceased woman reported that she had initially taken leave from Sept. 5 to 9 with a medical certificate after being diagnosed with an inflamed large intestine. She spent four days in hospital.

On the evening of Sept. 12, she requested sick leave from her manager for the following day, stating that her condition had worsened. However, the manager insisted she come to work and provide another medical certificate proving her conditions, as she had already taken several sick days. The friend noted that she had no prior history of taking sick leave before this recent illness, according to Bangkok Post.

She came to work on Sept. 13 as requested, and after 20 minutes on the job, she collapsed, according to her friend.

She was rushed to hospital and underwent emergency surgery, but did not survive. She was pronounced dead from necrotizing enterocolitis the following evening, last Saturday.

The story quickly went viral on social media. Most netizens blamed the manager for not allowing the woman to take more days off, though some argued that her death might have been due to the hospital's failure to properly treat her.

Rungsan Wongboonnak, deputy chief of the Samut Prakan Public Health Office, stated that the case will be investigated, and additional information about the patient's treatment will be requested from the hospital, according to The Star.

Pattanachat Chumthong, chief of Samut Prakan’s Department of Labor Protection and Welfare, noted that employees are entitled to up to 30 days of sick leave per year. He added that employers can request a medical certificate if the sick leave exceeds three days.

On Monday, Delta Electronics Thailand, her employer, publicly announced her death on its official Facebook page and extended their condolences.