Former Glencore trader loses wrongful dismissal court case
AN EX-GLENCORE trader has lost a wrongful dismissal court case against his former employer.
Andrew Kearns filed a complaint after he lost his job in October 2010 but lost his case and was made to pay costs to Glencore of £150,000.
It emerged during the trial that Kearns had failed to turn up to work on time, or was absent, 64 times over a period of 20 months. His former employer attributed his dismissal, during a business trip to Singapore, to the fact that he had “consumed excessive amounts of alcohol” and was “simply incapable of attending” a number of key meetings during the trip. The employer added that the behaviour was the final straw after a history of absence and excuses.
Kearns had previously tried to sue Glencore over $1m in shares he said he was owed after his departure from the company, but this case collapsed with the judge calling his case “ludicrous”. Kearns told the trial: “I did not and do not consider that I had or have a drink problem.” He added: “It [drinking] was accepted . . . because I made money and performed well.”