MEXICO CITY - Hundreds of striking miners occupying Mexico's...

MEXICO CITY - Hundreds of striking miners occupying Mexico's largest copper pit said on Thursday they are prepared to destroy the mine if the government tries to evict them after a court ruled they could be fired.

The miners first walked off the job at the massive Cananea copper mine near the U.S.-Mexico border nearly three years ago over health and safety standards in a protracted labor dispute that has been fought back and forth in the Mexican courts.

Mexico's Supreme Court this week upheld an earlier court ruling allowing mine-owner Grupo Mexico to terminate the contracts of the strikers and hire new workers.

But the miners at the historic copper pit have refused to turn over the mine and say if police or soldiers come to dislodge them they are prepared to take extreme measures.

"We are not going to turn over the mine to Grupo Mexico, let that be clear," national mining union spokesman Sergio Beltran said. "First we will burn it down. We have people already inside, we have a plan in place to burn it if necessary, if they want to force us out," Beltran told Reuters.

Javier Zuniga, another national union official, told a news conference workers had decided to strategically place explosives around the mine in case there is a confrontation.

Grupo Mexico declined to comment on the dispute. It has said in the past it is up to the authorities to decide what to do with the miners.

International metals workers unions have rallied around the Mexican miners. The union has successfully negotiated contracts with other companies in Mexico, including a wide-ranging agreement last month with global steelmaker ArcelorMittal.

Cananea has the capacity to produce nearly 190 000 t of copper, almost as much as the country's entire copper annual production of around 250 000 t, Grupo Mexico has said. The strike has put billions of dollars of investments on hold at both Cananea and the company's El Arco project in Baja California.

Grupo Mexico shares fell 1,53 percent in mid-day trade to 34,64 pesos ahead of the company's first quarter financial results expected to be posted on April 23.