BHP Billiton denies plan to restart coal mine

BHP Billiton said Thursday that it has no plan to restart its Norwich Park coal mining operation ingold claims for lease in alaska Australia by employing new workers, refuting a labor union's claim that a leaked company document points to a confidential five-year plan for the mine.

The Construction, Forestry, Mining and Energy Union earlier said it had written to BHP demanding to know the company's intentions for the mine after anonymously receiving a document that appears to outline a plan to utilize the assets at Norwich Park and achieve revenue and earnings targets. The union's claim and the company's denial come amid a tense labor dispute between the mine's owners--BHP and Japan's Mitsubishi Corp. -- and around 3,500 workers from three labor unions. The workers have for months staged rolling strikes at BHP-Mitsubishi mines in Queensland, cutting into production volumes. BHP last month said it would cease production at the Norwich Park mine indefinitely after a seven-week study failed to identify a way to return the...