Strike action on the horizon for offshore workers in Norway

Norwegian offshore workers might go on strike if tomorrow’s (June 24, 2015) mediation to find agreement on wages between SAFE, a Norwegian Union of Energy Workers, and Norwegian Shipowners’ Association (NSA) fails to yield a solution.

Negotiations for mid-term settlement held in May were unsuccessful as the workers had not been offered anything substantial, and the settlement had to be brought before the National Mediator in Oslo.

The mediation starts Wednesday, June 24, 2015, at 10 am local time with deadline at midnight on that same day.

If the parties do not agree on terms, Industri Energi, a Norwegian trade union for employees in the petroleum industry, says that 379 workers divided into 4 units and 8 companies on the Norwegian Continental Shelf (NCS) will go on strike.

According to Stavanger-based newspaper Aftenbladet, SAFE says that 189 of its members from two Teekay-owned FPSOs will walk out in case the agreement has not been made.

According to NSA, in case of strike, four drilling rigs and two production ships (FPSOs) would be affected and those are COSL Promotor, Maersk Giant, Deepsea Atlantic and Stena Don and FPSOs Varg and Petrojarl Knarr.

Offshore Energy Today Staff