Who has never been tempted to go and work in Switzerland? With a salary well above that of France (3,780 CHF in Neuchâtel for 42 hours of work), this can be tempting. But behind this greed lies a more nuanced reality. “Switzerland is 42 hours, 4 weeks of leave, overtime, a labor code which is not at all the same as the French one. People don't realize that they have the sword of Damocles hanging over their heads.”warns Michel Rivière, president of the Amicale des Frontaliers. And recently the reform of unemployment insurance has been the subject of numerous debates.
A project canceled or delayed?
A French cross-border worker contributes in the country which employs him but it is the country in which he resides which compensates him in the event of unemployment. UNEDIC then estimates the additional cost at 800 million euros per year for the unemployment insurance system. The former government of Michel Barnier therefore wanted to tackle the problem by setting up a compensation coefficient depending on the country. Unemployment benefits could then have been halved for French people working in Switzerland.
The Amicale des Frontaliers took up the matter and wrote to around ten associations. Three responded to the call, including the Association for Aid to Border Workers. “It’s a big discrimination because a cross-border worker would receive significantly less than a French worker. France has signed contracts with European partners. They agreed that countries would pay up to 5 months of contributions (if the cross-border worker has worked more than 12 months in the last 24 months. Below, the countries pay 3 months of compensation, editor's note). Beyond that, France had to take over. It's a bad deal, but they signed knowingly.”relates Jean-Marc Koenig, president of the Association for Aid to Border Workers.
After debate, this measure will ultimately not be applied. But the government's censorship of December 4 reshuffles the cards. Is the project canceled or delayed? “The priority of the next minister is to bring France back and therefore to get money. It wouldn't surprise me if we turned to border workers. We are careful, we expect the unemployment benefits project to come back”Jean-Marc Koenig is wary before continuing “Border workers are often stigmatized and singled out. We present them as rich, but in our association, we rather see cross-border workers in need. For example, you should know that in Switzerland, you can be fired because you are sick, it’s a dangerous system”.
For the moment, Astrid Panosyan-Bouvet, Minister of Labor and Employment under the leadership of Principal Minister Catherine Vautrin, does not seem to be reconsidering this measure. However, a draft decree presented on January 10 by the government aims to tighten compensation rules. Refusing two reasonable job offers (ORE) twice without legitimate reason could lead unemployed cross-border workers to lose their compensation. « It will now be the salary usually practiced in France which will be one of the constituent elements of the ORE and no longer the salaries practiced abroad », it is indicated in a press release from the ministry.
Cross-border workers ever further from their workplace
According to the latest INSEE study, in 2021, cross-border workers in the region travel on average 43 km to get to their workplace, this is 8 km more than those in the Grand Est and 15 km more than those in the Grand Est. of Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes. In 11 years, the average journey has lengthened by 4 km and the share of journeys of more than 50 km has increased from 24% to 31%.
In Doubs, cross-border commuters then have two options for mobility: the train or the car. “We praise the restoration of the Horlogers line but it would be nice to have an additional train so that people from Morteau and Villers-le-Lac can get on it”nuance Michel Rivière.
“The Region transports 800 trips per day to Switzerland. Even if we increase train capacity, we have more than 10,000 border workers crossing the border. And then, not everyone lives next to a train station”underlines Michel Neugnot, 1st vice-president in charge of mobility in the Region.
According to INSEE, 97% of cross-border commuters in the region use the car to travel to Switzerland. “As the mountainous topography is not favorable to public transport, it is poorly developed”indicates the organization. And as for the solution of a carpooling platform? “We have to look for users much further, so it would be preferable if the municipalities of the platform participate in its financing”raises the president of the Amicale des Frontaliers.
In 2011, a carpooling action was set up in Haut-Doubs, Pays Horloger and Haut-Jura with Swiss partners: cantons of Vaud and Neuchâtel. This policy extended to the entire Jura arc and was supported by several European funds. “We have greatly increased the practice of carpooling. At the start, we were on 4-5%. Now, we’re at 25-30%”assures Philippe Pichot, director of the mixed union of Pays du Haut-Doubs.
-A website has been launched to bring cross-border workers together. “The incentive for Swiss companies to install reserved parking spaces for those who carpool and the payment of bonuses has been the most impactful”underlines the director before continuing: “Today, we are at a plateau. In the Haut-Doubs region, we have a very wide flow of origins. Some cross-border workers may come from Besançon and, beyond the border, it is spread throughout Switzerland. You must therefore find at least two cross-border workers who come from the same area and go to the same place”.
Traffic jams as far as the eye can see
The majority of cross-border workers in the region live in the Pontarlier employment zone. Their number is increasing significantly. “The growth in the number of cross-border workers increases saturation at crossing points, which are few in number, due to the mountainous aspect. The flow of cross-border workers passing through the border commune of Villers-le-Lac, in the employment zone of Pontarlier, would reach 8,300 individuals daily in 2021, compared to 6,100 in 2010. Further south, it would be 7,600 at the Col de Jougne, compared to 4500 ago »indicates INSEE. As a result, traffic jams are inevitable.
It is particularly at the Ferrière border post that the slowdowns are observed. “Jougne-Vallorbe is already becoming a major axis with an explosion in border flows but also with the boom in international heavy goods vehicle traffic which has turned to the RN57”recalls Philippe Pichot.
At this customs, on the Swiss side, there are two traffic lanes, one of which is reserved for cross-border workers. But at the Ferrière station, « There is only one line of passage. This is unacceptable”relates Michel Rivière. A petition had been launched by the Amicale des Frontaliers concerning this customs. “Many pass through the valley, which is not consensual. The minimum would be to have two lines. The Swiss are in favor of it. The neighboring municipalities, Jougne, Vallorbe, Ballaigues, are fed up too”raises Michel Rivière.
And it is not Michel Morel who will say the opposite. “Every day, we approach 10 km of traffic jams. Border workers take 45 minutes to cross the border. So they pass through small roads, villages and at La Ferrière, they force their way through. I can understand them »laments the mayor of Jougne. “Switzerland has a project to completely redo the customs platform which amounts to 5 million euros. It is ready to finance half, while two thirds are on French territory”recalls Michel Morel. He plans to soon bring together the mayors of Vallorbe and Ballaigues, the DREAL as well as the sub-prefect to see what can be achieved at this crossing point.
“We have to think by type of flow. There is no obstacle on my side to widen the roads and create a 'fast lane' (read expressway, editor's note) for cross-border workers, like the one that can be found near Morteau. Now, I have no jurisdiction over the RN57 and therefore over the roads. I will of course participate in the various studies carried out. Then, there is a movement towards dematerialization of certain formalities envisaged, particularly for trucks”underlines Estelle Rocklin, regional customs director. There would then only be certain heavy goods vehicles which would have to stop, making it easier for trucks to pass through. “But it’s not yet yet”she warns. “The bulk of the traffic remains Swiss residents who come to do their shopping in France and who stop at customs to get the tax refund. In 2024, in Franche-Comté alone, we recorded 90,000 tax refund slips”she continues.
Establish multimodal hubs?
For the director of the mixed union of Pays du Haut-Doubs, the mobility problem is very serious and will increase. “We have seen exceptional demographic growth in Haut-Doubs. We are at 65,000 inhabitants. It is estimated that there will be 80,000 inhabitants by 2040-2045, driven mainly by the Swiss economy. We will not solve the problem with one action but by combining all possible mobilities”affirms Philippe Pichot.
He then thought about consolidating carpooling, improving the TER, increasing train attendance and setting up buses for cross-border commuters. “There is a lot of potential to work on. For carpooling areas on the French side, we need to rethink the layout of the areas. We are considering creating multimodal hubs that connect several types of transport, particularly at Labergement and the Col de Jougne. The goal is to have a place to concentrate ad hoc equipment: buses, lines reserved for cross-border workers, carpooling”imagines the director.
It also highlights an administrative complexity where the State, the Region, the communities of municipalities each have their own skills. “We are experiencing such pressure that it becomes everyone’s problem. We need to manage the mobility problem all together and that is why the Swiss are ready to support French projects” declares Philippe Pichot.
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