On June 20, 2019, an important unionisation step at Recticel was taken: company management and Petrol-İş management held a meeting and signed a protocol to initiate bargaining for a collective labour agreement As a result of the bargaining carried out within the framework of this protocol, Petrol-İş and Recticel management signed a collective labour agreement on December 17, 2019. After about six years of forming an association, Recticel workers managed to use their right to a collective labour agreement. Metal Industry Renault:41 Background Information The French group has a Global Framework Agreement (GFA) signed with IndustriAll in 2013 entitled “Committing Together for Sustainable Growth and Development.”42 The company also signed the UN Global Compact in 2001. Source: Petrol-İş Sendikası - [2018 Petrol-İş Recticel workers in protest] a press conference in front of the factory, stating that the employer wanted to prevent the workers’ right to freedom of association. At the European Business Council40, which includes the company’s management and representatives from other European branches, the Petrol-İş Union, its affiliate federation IndustriAll and Belgian unions in the same sector requested the employer recognize the Union— the request was a success. The company agreed to withdraw its objection of the Union’s competence, enabling it to be part of collective labour agreements. At the time this report was being prepared, the unionisation process, which has been going on for four years, had just reached the collective bargaining stage. French Renault Group owns 51% of Bursa-based Oyak Renault. It was one of the first workplaces where, in May 2015, a massive wave of strikes began in the metal sector.43 Workers were protesting (de facto strikes) for their right to choose which trade union would belong to and also expressing their discontent of a collective labour agreement that was held in secret. The protest/strike resonated with the public. During this time, Renault employers negotiated with representatives chosen by the workers. 41 The information presented here was compiled from the communications of the Birleşik Metal-İş Union’s International Relations Services in addition to the cited references. 42 For the full agreement please see: http://www.IndustriAllunion.org/sites/default/files/uploads/documents/GFAs/ Renault/GFA2013renault_gfa_-_turkish.pdf (Accessed on 26.08.2019) 43 The union members, who opposed to the collective agreement signed following the collective bargaining process conducted by the Turkish-Metal Union with Turkish Employers’ Association of Metal Industries (MESS) for many enterprises operating in the metal sector, started a wave of protests and made history with this important movement known as the Metal Storm (Metal Fırtına). For more information on the subject see: Hakan Koçak, “Metal İşçilerinin İsyanı Nelere İşaret Ediyor.” [What Is the Meaning of the Metal Workers’ Protest?] Birikim Dergisi, http://www. birikimdergisi. com/ guncel/metal-iscilerinin-isyani-nelereisaret-ediyor (2015). Aziz Çelik, Çelik, Aziz. “The wave of strikes and resistances 40 http://www.ewcdb.eu/body/786 48 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 of the metal workers of 2015 in Turkey.” Centre for Policy and Research on Turkey (Research Turkey) 4.10 (2015): 21-37. E X A M P L E S O F C O L L E C T I V E L A B O U R R I G H T S V I O L AT I O N S I N E U R O P E A N I N V E S T M E N T E N T E R P R I S E S 49