Kaynak: Birleşik Metal-İş Sendikası - We are ready to strike! Source: Birleşik eight strikes; in comparison, in just first year of the State of Emergency seven large-scale strikes were banned/suspended on the grounds of threats to national security, public health, and financial stability. Metal-İş Sendikası [2017 - BMİS protest on suspension of right to strike] Get your hands off from our bread! Right to strike cannot be prohibited! The DİSK-affiliated United Birleşik Metal İş decided to strike on January 18, 2017 as a result of disagreements during the collective bargaining process with the Asil Çelik enterprise, based in Orhangazi, Bursa, with 674 employees. However, the strike was suspended by the Council of Ministers the midnight before. On January 20, 2017, the same Union went on strike with 2,200 workers at GE Grid Solution, ABB Elektrik, Schneider Enerji and Schneider Elektrik— all enterprises affiliated with the employer-union EMİS. On the same day, the strikes were suspended by the decision of the Council of Ministers for a period of 60 days. The Union has continued to struggle against the practice making the right to strike subject to government permission. Resultant of the determination to exercise their right to strike, a collective labour agreement was signed between the parties at January 23, 2017 that covers 2,200 members. A decision by the Council of Ministers, dated March 20, 2017, suspended for 60 days the strike launched by the Bank and Insurance Company Workers Union 30 (Banksis) at workplaces affiliated to Akbank on the grounds that it posed a threat to economic and financial stability. C O L L E C T I V E R I G H T S O F W O R K E R S U N D E R T U R K E Y ’ S C O N T I N U O U S S TAT E O F E M E R G E N C Y T R A D E U N I O N R I G H T S I N E U R O P E A N A N D E U R O P E A N - A F F I L I AT E D E N T E R P R I S E S In May 2017, strikes launched by Kristal-İş Union at Trakya Cam AŞ, Paşabahçe Cam AŞ, Anadolu Cam Elyaf AŞ, Anadolu Cam Yenişehir AŞ, Trakya Yenişehir Cam AŞ and Şişecam Otomotiv AŞ, and workplaces affiliated with these companies were suspended for 60 days. The decision of the Council of Ministers cited grounds that the act would disturb national security and was published in the Official Gazette dated May 22, 2017. The strike at Mefar Pharmaceutics launched by the Petrol-İş Union on June 7, 2017 was suspended on the grounds of threatening “public health.” On January 26, 2018, strikes organised due to disagreements in collective bargaining by Turkish Employers’ Association of Metal Industries (MESS)— which has leading enterprises from the metal sector under its umbrella, and three other unions (Türk-Metal, BMİS and Çelik-İş)— were postponed by a decision of the Council of Ministers on grounds of national security. On May 23, 2018, a strike of the Petrol-İş Union at the Soda Kromsan enterprise located in Mersin was postponed by a decision of the Council of Ministers also on grounds of national security. T H E P I C T U R E O F L A B O U R R I G H T S V I O L AT I O N S I N T U R K E Y 31