Packaging giant Amcor will send 30 of its 50 jobs at its Melbourne headquarters to Zurich, with a whole company relocation on the cards.

The company says those who want to relocate will be sent to the Swiss city and overseas staff will be hired to replace any who choose to take a redundancy instead.

Amcor insists it has no plans to relocate its headquarters, but business website SmartCompany says it ‘understands’ it will happen.

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The move continues a pattern of downsizing in Australia, most recently in February 2013 where Amcor cut 300 jobs, closing two factories and downsizing another.

Corporate affairs general manager John Murray says with 95 per cent of the company’s operations now outside Australia it makes sense to continue moving administrative functions offshore.

He says the company will continue to be officially located in Australia, be listed on the ASX, and chairman Graeme Liebelt will stay in Melbourne.

Chief executive-in-waiting Ron Delia said at the time of his appointment in January that he would also be based in Melbourne when he takes over from retiring Ken MacKenzie in July.

There will also be no change to Amcor’s Australian tax liabilities – despite Switzerland’s corporate tax rate being 17.9 per cent as opposed to Australia’s 30 per cent.

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