Norway Oil Workers Threaten to Strike

Some 2,250 workers on Norwegian offshore oil drilling rigs and in drilling and catering services on oil producing platforms could go on strike this summer after rejecting a proposed wage deal, the Safe labor union said on Thursday.

Industri Energi, the largest labor union representing drilling workers, last month agreed to a deal, while the smaller Safe said it would ask its members to vote on the offer made by the Norwegian Shipowners' Association.

A strike could hit oil companies' exploration efforts later this summer, although a mandatory round of mediation must be held before any conflict is allowed under Norwegian law.

(Reporting by Terje Solsvik, editing by Gwladys Fouche)