OSLO (Archyde.com) – Norway’s oil industry said on Sunday wage negotiations between oil workers and companies have been extended beyond a midnight deadline in an effort to avert a strike that could cut the country’s crude production.
Trade unions said about 845 workers out of about 7,500 offshore workers planned to strike if annual wage negotiations failed.
The Norwegian Oil and Gas Association, which negotiates on behalf of the oil companies, said the strike “may affect” production but declined to say to what extent.
Union leaders said that although oil production could be hit by any strike, workers would initially seek to protect gas production due to tight supplies and rising prices in Europe.
The talks were originally scheduled to end at midnight on Saturday (2200 GMT).