Fury as Ineos billionaire is made a knight
THE billionaire boss of petrochemical giants Ineos has been made a knight – sparking fury after his involvement in a series of controversial industrial disputes. The UK’s richest man Jim Ratcliffe – who once drew up plans to sack 1400 workers while relaxing on his £130million yacht – will become a Sir for his services to business and to investment. But the gong has not gone down well among critics of his conduct at Grangemouth. Labour MSP Neil Findlay said: “Here is evidence of why some people are very critical of the honours’ system. “Ratcliffe is a man who has a desire to frack the entire central belt of Scotland with no regard to the environmental consequences. “He is the man who singlehandedly sought to hold the country to ransom with his outrageous behaviour at Grangemouth. “Ratcliffe’s knighthood has been awarded for ripping up the rights of the workforce who, let us never forget, are the ones who made his millions for him.” Ruthless Ratcliffe was born in Manchester and grew up on a council estate. And he has battled with workers, unions and Government bosses in his rise to the top of business. The BY JAMES MONCUR divorced dad of two is nicknamed Dr No by union bosses and JR – after notorious TV oil baddie JR Ewing – by other detractors.
He topped the UK’s rich list after his wealth grew from £15billion to £21billion last year.
The staggering rise is down to the successes of Ineos, the London-based firm who last year bought the Forties Pipeline System that now delivers almost 40 per cent of UK North Sea oil.
Ratcliffe is currently locked in a legal battle with the Scottish Government over the temporary block on fracking they announced in 2015.
And he made waves in 2013 for the tough line he took with workers at Grangemouth, the country’s biggest industrial site.
After a dispute over the suspension of a shop steward, he closed the plant and vowed to walk away for good unless workers accepted major cuts to their pensions and conditions.
At the time, we told how he conducted the operation while holidaying on his superyacht in the French port of La Ciotat.
In June 2014, he snubbed six-year-old Ruairi Cottier’s appeal for a donation to help build a playpark in Oban.
But after the Record told of the lad’s disappointment, Ratcliffe was forced into a U-turn and stumped up £1000.