Bastun - Baltic Sea Trade Union Network

BASTUN has been a driving force in organising Baltic Sea Labour Network (BSLN) project. It is a transnational cooperation project of 22 partners from 9 countries in the Baltic Sea Region. The project started in October 2008 and will continue until 2011. BSLN is a Flagship Project of the EU Baltic Sea Strategy.

Working Together for Sustainable Labour Markets

Never before have employees, employers, politicians and governments worked together to create sustainable regional labour markets in Europe.

As the project is built upon national and transnational collaboration in the Baltic Sea region BASTUN represents and coordinates trade union activities on the transnational level. BASTUN participates actively in the BSLN Forum of Development for decision and policy makers to combine knowledge and ideas in order to come up with strategies, policies and practical solutions. BASTUN works for providing a comprehensive picture of the challenges facing the Baltic Sea labour markets in the BSLN Network of Knowledge.

Trade union representation in the BSLN

Harri Taliga, president of the Confederations of Estonian Trade Unions EAKL, Mikko Mäenpää, president of the Finnish Confederation of Professionals STTK and Uwe Polkaehn, president of Northern disctrict of the Confederation of German Trade Unions (DGB) are trade union representatives in the BSLN Steering Committee, which is a tripartite high-level body responsible for the project’s strategic and political decision making. The Steering Committee is a platform for the BSLN Forum and a preparatory body for the “Political Agenda for the Sustainable Labour Markets”.

BASTUN's Executive Secretary Mika Häkkinen acts as a BSLN Communication Manager and is together with Helmut Uder (DGB) and Sergejus Glovackas (PERC/ITUC) members of BSLN Facilitator Team, which is the operational driving force of the project and generates the transnational activities.