Global Scots drive hunt for new plant owner
Any new operator would have to contend with losses which Ineos claims run to £10 million a month.
The shutdown has already seen a number of Polish contractors return to their home country, while others have been moved to other sites across the UK.
Ineos majority owner Jim Ratcliffe and other shareholders met yesterday to study the response from the workforce to their survival plan. A statement said: “The company will first communicate the shareholders’ views to the workforce directly on Wednesday.
“Consultations on the survival plan formally began last Thursday. It will take 45 days before any changes to terms and condi- tions can be introduced and 60 days before any changes to pensions can be implemented.”
Unite accused the company of playing “Russian roulette” with the future of Grangemouth, the biggest industrial site in Scotland, and backed any efforts by the Scottish Government to find a new buyer for the oil refinery and petrochemical complex.
Mr Swinney said the dispute was now at a “stalemate”, adding that “alternative options” were being considered.
He said: “I don’t think it will come as any surprise to anyone that the government is looking for alternative options and there certainly will be other players around the globe interested in this plant.
“We have
certainly
had
dis- THE hunt for a new owner at Grangemouth is being driven by a worldwide network of hundreds of high flying Scottish captains of industry and entrepreneurs.
The Global Scots group was established 12 years ago under the Labour/Liberal Democrat administration, but has been embraced by Alex Salmond in his efforts to attract international investment in Scotland.
Their number includes Derek Blackwood, the Texasbased Americas president of the Wood Group, and Alan Main, the worldwide president of Bayer Medical Care, who is based in New York, as well as John Beveridge, general manager of the Grand Hyatt hotel in Dubai.
Scottish entrepreneur Sir Tom Hunter and the Lord Mayor of the City of London, Roger Gifford, head Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken in the UK, are also among the 600 members of the network.
The roles are unpaid and many of the members are not native Scots, but have a connection to the country and are motivated by seeing its economy thrive. They cover the fields of life sciences, energy, technology and also boast legal, financial and business development skills.
The spread of Global Scotsis 35 per cent in the Americas, 23 per cent in Europe, the Middle East and Africa, 18 per cent in Asia-Pacific and 24 per cent in the UK.
Each year the group invites business leaders excelling in their field to join. Their expertise and business savvy are instrumental in maintaining the Global Scots reputation as a key resource for Scottish businesses.
Membership of the network is by invitation only.