Source: Evrensel - [BMİS Once workers resigned from the Türk-Metal union,44 to which the majority of the workers were members, and gravitated towards the DİSK-affiliated Birleşik-Metal-İş Union (BMIS), the employer accepted the formation of a social dialogue mechanism to conduct negotiations with BMIS, including the attendance of its international federation IndustriAll. Effectively exerting undue influence on which trade union workers would choose to join. An election, planned to choose workers’ representatives, was also cancelled just days before by the employer. Moreover, the employer dismissed 60 workers, including union representatives. Once workers started to protest the situation, the employer called security forces to the factory. Forces dispersed the workers and some of them were taken into custody. Nearly 500 workers were forced to resign with compensation. Some workers were dismissed without severance pay. Among the dismissed workers were representatives chosen by the workers. Later on, approximately 150 workers lodged a lawsuit in which the court found that the workers were dismissed due to union activities and ruled that the applicants should receive union compensation. Renault protest] Source: Birleşik Metal-İş branch executives, workers and the union’s international relations specialist Eyüp Özer, were indicted for disobeying the Law on Assemblies and Demonstrations. They received 5-month sentences, however their sentences were conditionally suspended. Sendikası In summary, over 500 workers of Renault were dismissed because they wanted to leave a union they did not identify with and because they wanted to join another union. This occurred despite the right to choose, protected under Article 51 of the Constitution and Article 17 of the Law No. 6356, and ILO’s Convention No.87 (Renault’s GFA refers to the Convention). Baldur Süspansiyon:45 Thirty-five people who demonstrated in front of the factory, including union Background Information The Spanish company MBHA (Muebles Y Ballestas Hıspano-Alemanas, S.A.) produces leaf springs for vehicles in the automotive sector. They supply products to many automotive companies such as Mercedes, Man, Isuzu and Renault etc. In addition to the company’s code of ethics46, some of the companies it supplies to also signed global framework agreements.47 44 Türk-İş affiliated Turkish-Metal Union is the largest union of the sector which has very close relations with the 45 The information presented here was compiled from the communications of the Birleşik Metal-İş Union’s International employer’s organisation MESS. Because it is not independent from the state or the employer, and does not have an ınternal Relations Services and the interview conducted with Eyüp Özer in addition to the cited references. democratic structure, it has not been embraced by the international trade union community. It is characterised as “an autocratic trade union” in an extensive study based on interviews conducted with its members, Theo Nichols and Nadir Suğur, 46 https://mbha.com/descargas/ Global İşletme ve Yerel Emek: Türkiye’de İşçiler ve Modern Fabrika, [Global Company and Local Labor: Workers in Turkey and the Modern Factory]. İletişim Publications, İstanbul, 2005. 50 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 47 https://mbha.com/tr/customers/ 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 51