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(Reuters) – Nearly 8% of Norwegian offshore oil and gas workers plan to strike from June 5 if state-brokered wage mediation fails, labour union data showed on Monday.
It was too early to say how a potential strike could impact production from oil and gas fields, a spokesperson for Offshore Norway, which represents the oil industry in the wage talks, told Reuters.
The three unions involved have around 8,100 members involved in oil production. Of those, 617 would take part in an initial wave of strikes if talks break down, with the option to escalate action over time.
The workers, organised by unions Styrke, Lederne and Safe, are seeking pay rises above inflation and other changes to their contracts, but have not disclosed details of their demands.
The negotiations between Norwegian oil companies and the three labour unions cover most workers on Norway’s offshore oil and gas installations, and failure to come to an agreement can lead to production curtailment.
A spokesperson for Styrke, the largest of the three labour unions, declined to comment on any impact a strike might have. Safe and Lederne did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Norway produces more than 4 million barrels of oil equivalent per day, almost equally divided between crude and natural gas, and any reduction could impact markets at a time when Middle East output is curtailed by the Iran war.
Norway is Europe’s largest supplier of natural gas, delivering about one-third of the continent’s annual consumption, and meets around 15% of the region’s demand for oil.
Global energy prices have risen sharply this year following the U.S.-Israeli war against Iran and the latter’s attacks on neighbouring countries and a blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, a key export route for oil and LNG from the Middle East.
Reporting by Terje Solsvik, editing by Essi Lehto, Anna Ringstrom and Louise Heavens
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