Reports say Rio Tinto is planning deep cuts across its iron ore business.

Internal documents have allegedly been leaked to industry press Australian Mining, which describe an upcoming campaign of heavy cost-cutting.

This will reportedly include renegotiation of service contracts, cutting back of scheduled maintenance task times, and changes to salaries that “reflect market conditions”.

The leaked document allegedly shows Rio Tinto iron ore chief executive Andrew Harding imposing an immediate hiring freeze.

Australian Mining says the document was emailed to management staff and read aloud to workers across Rio Tinto’s WA iron ore sites.

It warns that site superintendents will now be subject to quarterly reviews, covering “safety, cost and productivity performance, as well as commitments for the forthcoming quarter,” Harding allegedly said.

“I do not intend that any of these actions, and the extra efforts required on safety, will compromise our objective of continuing to be the best iron ore company in the world.

“Indeed, I expect that they will actually ensure that we can continue to be ‘the best’.”

Rio Tinto has recently denied rumours that it plans to cut its iron ore workforce by 10 to 15 per cent.