The protests in front of Flormar started during the State of Emergency, on May 15, 2018 and lasted for 297 days until March 8, 2019. It gained significant public support despite the pressure exerted by the employer and security forces. This protest was a significant example of strong worker mobilization, which proved that while protesting under the State of Emergency was difficult it was not impossible. Due to the State of Emergency, unlike previous protests held in front of company headquarters, security forces prohibited workers from setting up tents or shelters and bringing heaters such as stoves—despite the fact that winter had begun. Moreover, announcement buses, used in similar protests, were also not allowed.37 Due to an agreement being made between the union and the employer, dismissed workers would receive their severance, notice payments, and union compensations. However, because workers were not reinstated, the union is still unable to start negotiations for a collective labour agreement at the workplace. Recticel Teknik Sünger İzolasyon San.ve Tic. AŞ, the Turkish branch of Recticel, is an enterprise operating in Tuzla, Istanbul. It produces heat and sound insulation, sealant, filtration, vibration, and beddings materials in numerous sectors, including automotive, home appliance and construction sectors. Most of its workers joined the Petrol-İş Union in 2014. However, utilizing loopholes in Turkey’s employment legislation, local management of the company submitted objections that would delay the determination of competence and the collective bargaining process. Despite domestic courts’ judgments to the contrary, the company’s management argued that the company does not operate in the chemical industry beginning a lengthy determination of the sector process. This effectively prevented the Union from starting the collective agreement procedure. To protest the employer’s refusal to recognize the Union, workers locked themselves Source: Petrol-İş in the factory. During the protest, the Petrol-İş Union gave Sendikası - [2018 - Petrolİş Recticel Protest] Recticel:38 Background Information Recticel is a Belgium-based company that produces polyurethane foam and operates in 29 countries. Article 11 of Recticel’s “Ethics Policy” states the following “Recticel recognizes the right of any employee to join or to refrain from joining a trade union. Recticel encourages communication with its employees and their representatives. Recticel will comply with the laws and the collective labour agreements in all countries in which it operates. When the applicable law, the collective labour agreements, and the Recticel Ethics Policy specify diverging standards, the most stringent regulation will be applied. Recticel supports the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the conventions and the recommendations of its International Labour Organisation.” 39 37 https://www.evrensel.net/haber/366958/flormar-iscisine-yasak-uzerine-yasak and https://www.petrol-is.org.tr/haber/flormar-iscisine-yine-yasak-12120 38 The information presented here was compiled from the communications of Petrol-İş Union’s International Relations Services in addition to the cited references. 39 https://www.recticel.com/sites/default/files/who_we_are/discover_the_recticel_group/business_ethics_integrity/01_Ethics_policy_English.pdf (Accessed.08.2019) 46 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 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 47