‘It’s been hard,’ says sacked Glencore trader Andrew Kearns ahead of ruling

Oil trader Andrew Kearns is suing the world’s biggest commodities trading company, Glencore, for wrongful dismissal (AP)

The oil trader suing the world’s biggest commodities trading company, Glencore, for wrongful dismissal has pledged to fight on even if he loses his case in the High Court.

Glencore sacked Andrew Kearns, now 37, claiming misconduct due to his excessive drinking. But Mr Kearns alleges his drinking did not affect his work in the critical way Glencore claimed, arguing that he had pulled in deals with clients while socialising with them as part of his job.

Glencore countered in its summing up, with its barrister, Jonathan Cohen, declaring: “The days of the long liquid lunch in the City of London are gone. It might be Mr Kearns’ way of working … but it is not the Glencore way.”

Mr Kearns said: “Should I succeed or fail in the judgment then I look forward to shedding more light on why I was really sacked or fired, and why it was a shambolic dismissal. There is far more to this case than meets the eye.”

He claimed that a Glencore director who he had met weeks before the trial in a bar in Mayfair for an off-the-record discussion about his case, had pointed him out to paparazzi outside the High Court on the final day of his case last week.

He added: “Obviously, it has been an extremely difficult time for myself and my family. However, the support we have received generally within the oil industry has been very compelling, and my career is ongoing, although has been seriously handicapped by this case.”