Mass layoffs without legal severance payments or forced “voluntary resignations” have been the fate of at least three hundred workers from media outlets in the Yucatán Peninsula. These include employees of newspapers allegedly owned by PRI leader Alejandro Moreno. According to those affected, this situation arose after the Campeche governor cut off government advertising funding.
For media workers in the Yucatán Peninsula, 2021 was the worst year they can remember. In addition to the losses caused by the pandemic, there were massive layoffs across four Campeche newspapers reportedly linked to Alejandro Moreno Cárdenas—known as “Alito”—as well as in the regional newspapers Por Esto!, owned by Mario Renato Menéndez Rodríguez. The latter were heavily favored by the federal government with official advertising funds.
Between these outlets, approximately 300 workers were let go. Among the affected are elderly employees close to retirement and those with chronic or terminal illnesses whose medical treatments were abruptly interrupted.
In Campeche, the layoffs at El Sur de Campeche, Novedades de Campeche, Expreso de Campeche, and El Carmelita took place between November and December. This came after the new governor, Morena’s Layda Sansores, assumed office on September 16 and ended the government subsidies of 5 million pesos per month to the “media outlets of Alito,” as she referred to them. This was revealed during her “Tuesday Jaguar” TV program.
Since Moreno took office as governor in 2015, there had been rumors that he was “buying out” local media. While it could not be proven, Moreno also never denied the allegations.
In addition to the four newspapers—allegedly acquired through Ernesto Zertuche, a tax attorney from Mexico City who suddenly appeared in Campeche purchasing media outlets—Moreno has also been linked to the television station Mayavisión. The original owner, Miguel Ángel Duarte Quijano, remained publicly listed as the owner but reportedly became an administrator of Moreno’s media conglomerate. Affected former employees claim that Duarte personally oversaw the layoffs.
Former employees of Novedades and El Sur recount that weeks before being notified of their termination, both companies deregistered all staff from the Mexican Social Security Institute (IMSS). Despite this, under the pretext of the pandemic, they were required to continue working remotely, covering their own expenses for electricity and internet.
Employees were reportedly summoned in small groups to be notified of their dismissal or coerced into signing “voluntary resignations.” They were warned that legal action would be futile since the companies planned to change their legal identities, leaving no one accountable.
Despite some employees having worked for over two decades, their seniority was not fully acknowledged, and severance payments were calculated based on the underreported wages registered with IMSS—amounts as low as 90 or 100 pesos per day.
The “media outlets of Alito” now exist only in digital form.
Por Esto!
In the case of Por Esto!, its connection to Mario Renato Menéndez and President Andrés Manuel López Obrador is public knowledge. López Obrador has openly mentioned this relationship during his morning press conferences and shown deference to the Yucatecan journalist. Menéndez’s company, which now operates under the name Centro de Cultura Nuestra América as a civil association, received 60,821,365 pesos in official advertising funds during López Obrador’s first year in office.
With this funding, Por Esto! ranked 12th on the list of national media outlets that received the most official advertising in 2019, as reported by Article 19 based on data published by the Ministry of Public Administration.
On October 29, 2019, during a press conference held at the Mérida military airbase, López Obrador publicly addressed Menéndez, calling him a “friend, comrade, and brother.” Although Menéndez was not present, López Obrador praised Por Esto! for supporting his political movement when other outlets ignored it.
On November 16, 2019, López Obrador shared on social media that he had met with Menéndez at the National Palace, expressing gratitude for the outlet’s support.
However, controversy erupted shortly thereafter. On December 1, Por Esto! dismissed its entire staff in Chetumal, citing a business dispute among Menéndez’s children. Court orders led to the seizure of Por Esto!’s facilities in Chetumal, Quintana Roo, and Ciudad del Carmen, Campeche. The new leadership, led by Menéndez’s daughter Alicia, blamed state governors for the turmoil.
According to affected employees, Por Esto! gradually laid off staff in Mérida, starting with the most senior employees, many of whom were founding members. By December 13, 2019, former employees of Por Esto! Quintana Roo staged a protest in Chetumal, calling on President López Obrador to address the “inhumane and arbitrary” dismissals.
Laid-off employees reported receiving their severance payments in monthly installments. Some also claimed their salaries were reduced during the pandemic before being let go. In none of the cases were legal severance packages or seniority benefits honored.
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