Hundreds of Well Workers offshore Norway Go on Strike

The Norwegian Union of Energy Workers (SAFE) said Monday it is staging strikes against offshore well services companies after refusing proposals that the union sees as years behind collective bargaining agreements in other parts of the oil and gas industry.

After failed negotiations with Offshore Norge, which represents companies with activities in the Norwegian continental shelf, on Well Service Agreements on the weekend, 154 SAFE members began striking the following day. The employees are from SLB, DOF Subsea, Halliburton, Weatherford, Tios and DeepOcean, SAFE said in an online statement. The government mediated.

An additional 224 SAFE members will join the no-show from Thursday. The companies affected are SLB (177 members), Cactus, Subsea 7, Weatherford, DeepOcean, Vetco Gray Scandinavia and Baker Hughes.

"The well service agreement has lagged far behind the other collective bargaining areas in the oil industry for several years", SAFE said. "In the last five years alone, the area has lagged a full wage settlement behind the other collective bargaining areas in the oil industry, which means that employers are saving one full wage settlement every five years".

SAFE area manager Martin Skogland said, "We cannot accept the development and had clear expectations before this year's settlement that the trend would have to be reversed. We are falling behind financially, as well as when it comes to working conditions and rights".

"Employers have now started to apply to our agreement to register companies, and are withdrawing from other collective bargaining areas and terminating direct agreements. As we see it, the Well Service Agreement is becoming a 'dumping agreement'", added Skogland.

Elisabeth Brattebø Fenne, chief negotiator at Offshore Norge, said in a separate statement, "We are disappointed that no agreement was reached with SAFE".

On the other hand Offshore Norge succeeded in negotiating with trade union Styrke on Oil Service Agreements, also held over the weekend. The government also mediated.

The new agreement covers about 7,200 workers from nearly 50 companies, according to the statement by Offshore Norge.

"The rates in the salary grid will be increased by NOK 47,000 [$5,000] effective from 1 June 2026, including offshore compensation and holiday pay", Offshore Norge said. "The rates in the salary grid will be further increased by NOK 5,000 effective from 1 January 2027, including offshore compensation and holiday pay.

"The shift/night allowance will be increased from NOK 109 to NOK 116.50 from 1 June 2026, while the public holiday compensation will be increased from NOK 2,350 to NOK 2,400.

"Minimum wage rates will also be increased. In addition, various technical changes will be made to the agreements".

Earlier this month Offshore Norge, SAFE, Styrke and the Norwegian Organization of Managers and Executives agreed new terms on pay and working conditions under their Offshore Agreements after government mediation. That averted a strike that had threatened to cut national oil and gas production by over 45,000 barrels of oil equivalent a day, according to Offshore Norge.

The companies involved consisted of exploration and production companies, drillers and service providers: Equinor, ConocoPhillips, Aker BP, OKEA, Vår Energi, Repsol Norge, KCA Deutag Drilling Norge, Sodexo Remote Sites Norway, ESS Support Services, Coor Service Management and 4Service Offshore Hotels.

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