Offshore Norge has announced a lockout under the Well Service Agreement, saying the ongoing SAFE strike is having a severe and uneven impact on its member companies.
The strike began on 15 June 2026 and was expanded on 18 June. According to Offshore Norge, 378 SAFE members are currently on strike. The employers’ organization said the lockout is a lawful measure under Norway’s collective bargaining system and is intended to help bring the dispute to an end.
The strike affects ten service companies: SLB, DOF, Halliburton, Weatherford, Tios, DeepOcean, Subsea 7, Cactus, Vetco Gray Scandinavia, and Baker Hughes.
Offshore Norge said preliminary feedback indicated the strike was disproportionately affecting member companies. It has therefore extended its notice of work stoppage under the Well Service Agreement to cover 1,272 of SAFE’s approximately 1,770 members under the agreement. Certain companies operating offshore vessels are exempt from safeguarding critical subsea emergency preparedness on the Norwegian continental shelf.
The organization said the strike has already caused delays and shutdowns in drilling operations on the Norwegian continental shelf. Drilling rigs are being gradually ramped down and will continue only until ongoing well phases have been safely secured. Four inspection, maintenance and repair vessels and one well intervention vessel have halted operations, while two rigs have already ceased activity. Offshore Norge said the strike is imposing significant costs on supplier companies and has also led to some delay in oil and gas production.
Offshore Norge rejected SAFE’s description of the Well Service Agreement as a “dumping agreement”. Elisabeth Brattebø Fenne, Director for Organization and Labor Relations and chief negotiator at Offshore Norge, said the term gives a misleading impression of wage levels and working conditions.
The National Mediator, Carl Petter Martinsen, presented a proposal during mediation on 13 and 14 June. Styrke and Offshore Norge accepted the proposal, while SAFE rejected it. Offshore Norge said it later reiterated to SAFE that it still stands by the mediator’s proposal as a solution, but had not received a response.
According to Offshore Norge, the average wage level for the offshore employees covered by the agreement is approaching NOK 1 million per year. The mediator’s proposal included an increase in pay matrix rates of NOK 47,000 from 1 June 2026, including offshore compensation and holiday pay. A further increase of NOK 5,000 would take effect from 1 January 2027, also including offshore compensation and holiday pay.
The shift and night supplement would increase from NOK 109 to NOK 116.50 from 1 June 2026, while the public holiday supplement would rise from NOK 2,350 to NOK 2,400. Minimum pay rates would also increase, with adjustments to several technical allowances.
Offshore Norge said the settlement is in line with the framework agreed in the lead sector earlier this spring.
