Press Release – Apostolic Vicariate of San Miguel de Sucumbios

On Wednesday, May 11th in Quito, the administration of the Vicariate had a meeting with Bishop Ángel Polivio Sánchez, Bishop of Guaranda, secretary of the Ecuadorian Episcopal Conference and Pontifical Delegate for the Apostolic Vicariate of San Miguel Sucumbíos. In this meeting the painful economic situation that the Vicariate is in was discussed, and the critical situation of “Radio Sucumbíos, which legally belongs to the Catholic Church in Sucumbíos.
The lack of means to continue to maintain about 20 employees of Radio Sucumbíos that cost just over 12 thousand dollars a month and the lack of income for the radio itself to mantain them have forced a series of administrative measures to be taken. Indeed, in 2010 the Radio ended with a deficit of 27 thousand dollars and a labor lawsuit that has persisted since the previous administration for $ 28 000. And the outlook for 2011 is that there will be 80 thousand dollars of deficit.
The main concern of the administration of the Vicariate was that there was no interruption in the activities of the Radio, given the important role that has always been in favor of the people. And the only way I found to keep running the radio was to promote the reduction of staff, and replacing employees with volunteers.
Consequently, the administration of the Vicariate of Sucumbíos proceeded today to personally hand over a memorandum to dismiss employees of the radio. And despite having been peaceful and calm and after I had expressed in a meeting with them this situacion, they not only have not accepted this provision, but have called a few supporters who have acted illegally to take the radio and proceeded to expel the representatives of the Vicariate with physical attacks and insults.
The procedure the Administration used is the legally established one, since the memos to notify employees, have been signed by the legal representative, Bishop Angel Polivio Sanchez . Wages of April were complete, and were offered a check in settlement until the present date with summary dismissal, with everything according to the law, previously established by the Labour Inspectorate. Yet, employees not only refused to sign the dismissal, but alleged a presumed illegality of the procedure, and even rejected the same checks that were offered.
The Vicariate Administration officials now seek the compliance of the law. The aim of the new administration is to keep the radio with all the social support made through voluntareers, religious and less employees, so as to allow to mantain it from the economic point of view.

Nueva Loja, May 16, 2011