Newmont?s Batu Hijau mine resumes production

Striking workers at Newmont Mining?s Batu Hijau copper and gold mine in West Nusa Tenggara province had returned back to work on Saturday after the union and the company reached agreement over overtime pay issues, a company official said.

?Workers returned to work on Saturday, normal production will resume,? said Kasan Mulyono, a senior company official at PT. Newmont Nusa Tenggara (NNT), which runs the mine.

Batu Hijau was forced to halt mining and processing activities after the workers launched a strike late Thursday over difference in interpretation regarding overtime pay and a pay schedule for the four-days-on/four-days-off work routine.

To address workers' concerns, management sat down with the workers' union along with Indonesian regional and provincial Ministry of Manpower representatives to explain how the new regulations applied to the union.

The Batu Hijau mine produces some 650 million pounds of copper and 600,000 ounces of gold annually. Newmont has 52.9 percent equity stake in Batu Hijau mine. (godang)