Norway oil, gas workers threaten strike over wages

Some crude output is vulnerable to shutdown though fuel is probably not affected, in response to labour unions.

Oil employees on the Oseberg oil area within the North Sea [File: Marit Hommedal/NTB Scanpix/Reuters]

At the very least 647 Norwegian oil employees plan to strike from June 12 if state-brokered wage mediation fails, placing some crude output vulnerable to shutdown though fuel is probably not affected, in response to labour unions.

Staff are in search of above-inflation pay will increase and different adjustments to their contracts however haven't launched particulars of their calls for.

Members of the Industri Energi and Lederne unions plan strike motion at 10 everlasting offshore installations, together with the Njord A, Valhall, Gudrun and a number of other Oseberg platforms, in addition to three cellular service items, the unions stated on Friday.

Lederne would initially contain 74 principally senior offshore employees in a strike, seemingly hitting oil manufacturing on the Equinor-operated Gudrun, Oseberg South and Oseberg East platforms, the union stated.

Fuel manufacturing ought to stay unaffected, nonetheless, Lederne chief Audun Ingvartsen informed Reuters information company.

“We are going to attempt to keep away from affecting fuel manufacturing as we're aware concerning the state of affairs with fuel provides in Europe,” he stated.

“I hope we will discover one of the best answer each for Norway and the oil corporations, and on the similar time give one thing again to the employees. I hope we will keep away from a strike.”

Lederne is negotiating on behalf of about 1,300 union members.

Day by day output

Gudrun produced 45,700 barrels of oil equal per day (boed) in 2021, Oseberg East 5,600 boed and Oseberg South 32,000 boed, official information exhibits, about two % of Norway’s general day by day oil and fuel output.

In the meantime, the Industri Energi union stated it could initially search to keep away from hitting manufacturing altogether, at the same time as 573 of its members might go on strike.

“The primary occasion of a possible strike would solely contain a restricted variety of members, however we will escalate if obligatory,” Industri Energi’s chief negotiator Lill-Heidi Bakkerud stated.

Industri Energi is Norway’s largest oil and fuel union, negotiating on behalf of about 4,300 members.

The Protected labour union, which can even participate within the June 10-11 mediation, has but to stipulate its response.