Norwegian trade union Industri Energi announced that about 913 workers on the offshore oil and gas drilling rigs and other installations plan to go on a strike from 29 June 2023 if wage deal is not agreed.

The labour union said the workers on 12 rigs, including Seadrill's West Elara rig, Odfjell's Nordkapp, Transocean's Spitsbergen as well as contractors at Equinor's Gullfaks field could be part of the strike action in the floating rig area.

“Resignations have been announced for 913 members, spread across 12 facilities and 16 businesses on the Norwegian continental shelf,” Industri said in a statement.

In May 2023, talks broke down between the Norwegian Shipowners' Association (NSA) and the Safe, Industri Energi and DSO labour unions involving 6,000-7,500 drilling workers, over wage settlement for floating rig employees.

At that time, Safe said that the labour unions had sought increase in pay to improved their purchasing power.

Safe leader Hilde-Marit Rysst was quoted by Reuters as saying then: "The offer on the table was not acceptable to our members.”

Earlier in the same month, the Norwegian government anticipated rise in consumer prices by 5.4% this year.

The NSA said the market prospects for the drilling industry was not taken into consideration by the unions.

NSA chief negotiator Geir Sjoeberg said: "They wouldn't accept an offer that was in line with other parts of the industry.”

The trade union noted that a state-appointed mediator will now seek to avert the strike outbreak, reported Reuters.

Industri Energi president Frode Alfheim Frode Alfheim said: “The rigging industry is going well and we must have a wage settlement that ensures that this industry is competitive in the battle for labour.”

Last month, workers at the Norwegian petroleum production units who are directly employed by companies signed a wage agreement. This prevented strikes at major oil and gas fields, reported the news agency.