Watchmaking subcontracting: La Chaux-de-Fonds which cries, a little, a lot

Published on December 15, 2024 at 08:17. / Modified on December 15, 2024 at 08:20.

8 mins. reading

“It’s a disaster! I have rarely seen this. The situation is difficult for our entire industry and subcontractors will suffer.” This quote will remain anonymous, the manager who is the author does not wish to appear in the open. Its factory, based near La Chaux-de-Fonds, with several hundred employees, is a nerve center for many suppliers in the region. On the crests of the Jura, companies are often interdependent and, unfortunately for the ecosystem, the news given by this entrepreneur is not good: “The activation of measures to reduce working hours (RHT) is planned from January and we cling to the hope that it will start again in the second semester. La Chaux-de-Fonds, pearl of intangible watchmaking heritage, possible Swiss Cultural Capital 2027, is preparing to go through a long winter with its feet in the water. For some, the bath will be freezing.

For the moment, no wave of bankruptcy filings to announce. But there are rumors running through all the UNESCO-certified streets. Such an independent watch brand would have put all of its employees on unemployment, no longer placed orders with its subcontractors and would be on the brink of collapse. An out-of-work manufacturer would call in his employees just to show off and let them watch Netflix all day. Another factory of a large group would wait until the Christmas holidays to announce a restructuring, with the relocation of its staff to other sites. The vacation of this other company was “extended” by two weeks around the end of the year.

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