British American Tobacco Switzerland (BAT) intends to relocate the entire production of the Jura site in Boncourt to other factories in Europe. The Jura government has been informed of the opening of a four-week consultation process, reports swissinfo.ch.
The government regretted the news, which was a serious blow to the canton, it said in a communiqué. The executive will ensure that the Jura’s interests and those of its employees are defended in the consultation phase that will now begin, it said.
The announcement came as a surprise and a disappointment to the Jura government, given the historic importance of the company for the canton. For the commune president of Boncourt, Lionel Maître, “it’s a shock, a disappointment, a sense of despair and mess.”
According to the group’s website, BAT employs more than 360 people in Switzerland, between Boncourt, where its headquarters are located, and its production site and sales offices in Lausanne. According to RTS radio, the plant currently has about 220 employees. Of these, about half are cross-border workers.
The factory was founded in 1814 by the Burrus family and became the property of Rothmans International in 1996. The latter merged in 1999 with the multinational BAT, which made the factory its headquarters in Switzerland. Since 1887 it has produced the famous Swiss cigarettes “Parisienne”, the second best-selling brand in the country.