Between Memory and Projection, SEAPN Consolidates 31 Years of Union Action at APN

PORT-AU-PRINCE.— The National Port Authority Employees' Union (SEAPN) commemorated its 31 years of existence on Friday during a solemn ceremony bringing together union members, administrative executives, and representatives of public institutions. More than just an anniversary, the event aimed to be a moment of strategic reflection on the union's role in consolidating and ensuring the sustainability of the Haitian port sector.

Created to defend the rights and interests of employees of the National Port Authority (APN), SEAPN took advantage of this celebration to review its journey, marked by social demands, sustained negotiations, and constant involvement in the institution's modernization.

Speaking at the event, the Director General of the APN, Jean Evens Charles, praised the union's consistency and institutional maturity. He emphasized that after more than three decades of activity, SEAPN remains an essential partner in the dynamic of reform and improvement of the port sector's performance. The official insisted on the importance of structured and permanent dialogue between the administration and employees, an essential condition for the stability and efficiency of port services.

The union president, Ulrick Pierre, for his part, highlighted internal cohesion as a driver of resilience and renewal. He believes that the organization's vitality rests primarily on the individual and collective commitment of its members. According to him, unity is the main lever enabling SEAPN to continue its action in favor of better working conditions, while contributing to the modernization of the port institution.

However, one of the highlights of the ceremony occurred during the speech by SEAPN spokesperson, Wilfrid Saintilus. In a strong statement, he paid public tribute to Jean-Édouard Baussan for his decisive role in preserving the public nature of the port.

According to Wilfrid Saintilus, Jean-Édouard Baussan led a decisive advocacy effort to prevent the privatization of the port at a time when pressures existed in that direction. He recalled that a proposal would have been submitted under the presidency of René Garcia Préval, but Baussan would have opposed it, believing that it was not opportune to create a new private port after the existence of the Port Lafito terminal.

«He deserves a flower and a candle,» declared the spokesperson, emphasizing that without this stance, the APN could have lost its strategic role in the national economy. Wilfrid Saintilus also attributed to Jean-Édouard Baussan a significant contribution to the port's renovation work, particularly in terms of security, space development, and infrastructure modernization, efforts that would have prevented a possible recent closure of the establishment.

For the spokesperson, these interventions played a major role in the sustainability of the APN and in maintaining its status as a public institution serving the state and workers. He hailed «a key player in the survival and strengthening of the port,» calling for public recognition of this commitment.