According to the Mirror, a few months after Manchester United laid off 250 people, Ineos announced that it would also lay off employees at its factories.
Ineos has announced that it will cut 20% of its workforce at its acetyl facility in Hull, a decision that comes just months after Manchester United axed 250 jobs. The petrochemical company informed staff at its Hull site this week of the news, which will see a total of 60 jobs axed.
Ineos blames the impact on its business on "cheap, high-carbon imported products" from China, which are said to be produced using coal and are banned from the US market, but there are no similar trade barriers in the UK and Europe.
Ineos claims annual revenue of about $55 billion (about 41 billion pounds) on its website and says it has invested 30 million pounds in converting the Hull plant from natural gas to hydrogen, which is equivalent to reducing the emissions of 160,000 cars. Ineos Acetyl CEO David Brooks announced the news to around 300 employees.
Brooks said: "This is a very difficult time for everyone at the Hull site. We have a leading, efficient and well-invested plant with a highly skilled, professional and dedicated team. The decision to make 60 jobs redundant is not an easy one."
"I We have explored all possible alternatives, but with the combined pressure of continued rising energy costs and unfairly low-priced imports entering the UK and European markets, our priority now is to support affected employees and protect the long-term future of the factory."
"This is. In a classic case of the UK and Europe unknowingly moving towards deindustrialisation, Ineos has invested heavily in Hull to reduce CO2 emissions, only to be outgunned by products from China and the US without any tariff protection in the UK. If governments don’t take immediate action to address energy, carbon emissions and trade, we will continue to lose factories, skills and jobs. Once these factories close, they will never come back. "
Ratcliffe has been widely criticized for cutting jobs at Manchester United, and in February this year, the club confirmed that up to 200 staff were at risk in the latest round of layoffs. Previously, Manchester United's boss had laid off nearly a quarter of its employees, laying off a total of 250 employees. Existing staff will no longer receive free hot meals and will instead be provided with fruit, soup and toast as part of cost-saving measures.