Billionaire boss, Jim Ratcliffe, is reportedly planning to axe staff tea breaks in a bid to save money (Picture: Getty Images)

Tea breaks are something most of us look forward to during our working day.

But what if our prized breaks were taken away from us? We’d be pretty peeved off.

Mafia boss found hiding on top of a wardrobe

So it’s understandable that staff at the Ineos plant in Grangemouth in Scotland are furious.

Their billionaire boss, Jim Ratcliffe, is reportedly planning to axe the morning tea break for his workers in Scotland in order to save money – despite living a ‘life of luxury’ himself.


Workers at the huge Grangemouth plant now worry other business leaders across the UK will follow suit.

Workers are not happy and fear other business leaders in Scotland may follow suit (File Picture: PA)

One worker told the Daily Record: ‘Ratcliffe enjoys a life of luxury. We hear he spends a lot of time on his yacht in the south of France.



‘Yet he’s trying to deny his workers a simple tea break. I’m sure he gets 10 minutes for a cup of tea in the morning

Billionaire offers huge reward to catch ice cream thieves

‘Workers across the generations have enjoyed their tea break. It’s a great Scottish tradition. There’s no way we should be giving it up easily.’

Managers at the petrochemical plant claim the 10am tea break needs to be axed because it leads to ‘high levels of unproductive time’ in the mornings.

They’re insisting it’s not being stopped entirely, it’s just being ‘rescheduled’ to the end of the shift and comes with an extra half hour’s pay per day as compensation.

It’s part of a three-month pilot scheme (Picture: PA)

But that has far from appeased workers, who say the tea break is a ‘necessity’.

BHS store turned into ‘Yacht Club’ as diss to disgraced billionaire owner Philip Green

One insider told the Record: ‘We get to work early and do hard, physical work in all conditions. By 10am, we’re often in dire need of a break. Some guys use the time for a cup of tea. Others have a bite to eat.

‘With winter coming, it will be a time when we can simply heat up after working in the freezing cold. People are also worried about the wider impact if this goes ahead.’

The move is part of a three-month pilot scheme to cut back on breaks and has been set out in a Grangemouth document seen by the paper.

Managers say staff will get half an hour extra pay as compensation (Picture: Alamy)

It reportedly states: ‘The main objective of this pilot is to reduce the high levels of non-productive time associated with logistical issues around the scheduling of the mid-morning refreshment break.’

The memo adds that the changes won’t be made permanent without the agreement of unions.

And it looks like they won’t be agreeing to anything anytime soon.

One worker said: ‘We’ve got a message for Jim Ratcliffe – you’ll never take our tea break.’

Ratcliffe is renowned for his tough approach to his workers. In 2013, he closed the plant up until workers accepted major cuts to their pensions.

A spokesperson for the plant told Metro.co.uk: ‘There have been no changes proposed to T&C’s for INEOS employees in regard to the matter.

‘However, our independent contractors have proposed a change to the timing of a 10-minute mid shift break. A pilot scheme would include a move of the 10-minute break and 30 minutes’ additional pay for the inconvenience.

‘Our contractor partners have consulted with their employees and with the Unions under the National Agreement. People are being asked about their views about the proposal and a final decision will be made in conjunction with the unions at the end of the proposed pilot scheme.’