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Oil workers go on strike in Norway, Europe’s second largest energy supplier

Oil workers go on strike in Norway, Europe's second largest energy supplier

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A group of Norwegian offshore oil and gas employees began a work stoppage on July 5 that, if extended, could reduce the country’s gas exports by 56% and exacerbate supply shortages due to the Ukraine war.

It is in no European gas consumer’s interest that the strike that began on July 5, 2022 by oil workers in the oil and gas industry in Norway intensify, since the very beginning of the strike has already caused increases of up to 16 % on the price of gas.

And it is not for less: Norway is the second gas energy supplier in Europe after Russia, which these days is in great demand, as it is considered a reliable and stable substitute for Russian gas, especially as a ten-day maintenance shutdown of the Nord Stream 1 pipeline from July 11.

Members of the Lederne union, one of several Norwegian associations, voted on Thursday against a salary increase agreement of between 4% and 4.5%, above the general increase of 3.7% agreed in April between the major employee and employer organizations in Norway.


Norwegian energy giant Equinor said it had shut down production at three oil and gas fields after its workers walked out following a series of failed wage negotiations, and warned that more closures were expected.

“Nearly 60 percent of gas exports from the Norwegian Continental Shelf (NCS) will be affected when the strike intensifies further from Saturday,” the Norwegian Oil and Gas Association said in a statement. release.

The strike comes at a time when energy prices have already soared as a result of the shock of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and Western sanctions on the Kremlin.

With Reuters and AFP



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