Flormar operates close to Istanbul, at the Gebze Organised Industrial Zone, and manufactures cosmetic products for the well-known French cosmetic brand Yves Rocher. Since 2013, it has been among Turkey’s top 500 exporters. In 2012, a 51% share of Kosan Cosmetics company, which has been manufacturing for Flormar since 1972, was acquired by Laboratoires de Biologie Vegetale Yves Rocher S.A, which itself is affiliated with the Yves Rocher SA company. In other words, Flormar has since become a brand of Groupe Rocher. As majority shareholder of Kosan Cosmetics, Groupe Rocher selected the company’s executive board, making Bris Rocher the Chairman of the Board of Kosan Cosmetics (which manufactures Flormar). In January 2018, the Confederation of Turkish Trade Unions (Türk-İş) affiliated Oil, Chemical, and Rubber Workers’ Union (Petrol-İş), began recruiting members in the workplace to obtain a majority and start the collective bargaining process. The Union established the necessary majority in May and applied for competency to the Ministry of Labour so it could be a part of the collective bargaining agreement. At this point, instead of starting negotiations for the agreement, the employer chose to dismiss 120 (mostly female) workers, preventing further unionisation. Supported by the Union, the dismissed workers began a protest and were later joined by other colleagues, who were also dismissed for supporting the protestors. The number of dismissed workers exceeded Source: Petrol-İş 130. Those who were dismissed were not given any Sendikası - [2018 - Petrolİş Flormar Protest] compensation, to which they were legally entitled. - Resistance would make you beautiful not Flormar! On 23 Source: Petrol-İş May, BBC Turkey was following the protest in front of the factory and three workers claimed that they were taken to another room by the management because they had supported their colleagues by clapping during their breaks. They said that they were told that they would have to resign if they did not transfer to the production department.36 Sendikası - [2018 - Petrolİş Flormar Protest] Merve Atmaca, who had been working at the factory for 5 months, was one of these people. She explained that they supported their colleagues by clapping during their breaks and were forced to resign the same day: “They’ve called us and said that they’re going to sack us. Then they told us that it was a crime to support them (protesting workers) during working hours. They said ‘either work in the production [section.]’ In another area... ‘Or give your resignation.’ Because I cannot work in an indoor department, I preferred to resign. I gave my resignation and left.” Sebahat Zengin, who had been working in the factory for 5 years, told a similar story: “Our production manager talked with us one by one. He wanted to transfer us to another department. I am an office employee. I work at the office. He wanted to transfer me to the production department. He put pressure on me by saying ‘You either work at the production or give your resignation and leave.’ I can say that he gave me no choice but to write my resignation.” 36 https://www.bbc.com/turkce/haberler-turkiye-44248357 44 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 45