In a statement released on Friday, the company said underground miners its Black River operation in Bandy were being called back to work, but not did specify how many people would be included in the call-back.

"In prior call-backs, surface miners affiliated with Virginia operations were offered the opportunity to return to surface mining in Virginia," the statement said.

"This latest series of callbacks extends that same opportunity to underground 'deep' miners laid off from Southern Coal's Virginia-based deep-mining operation."

Southern Coal said that the success of a recent contract negotiation with German steel producer Thyssen-Krupp helped enable the company to engage in these call backs.

Late last month, the company called back miners in Kentucky, West Virginia and surface miners at its Virginian operations.

According to the statement, this call-back means that all miners in Southern Coal’s Virginian operations will have been provided a chance to return to the company’s mines.

The Virginia-based company is owned by Jim Justice and operates mines in Alabama, Kentucky, Tennessee, Virginia and West Virginia.