SAFE Workers Strike at Reach Subsea

SUBSCRIBE SEARCH ARTICLES NEWS Nearly a dozen members of the Norwegian energy workers union SAFE have gone on strike at Reach Subsea after government mediation failed to result in an agreement. Image by trainman111 via iStock

Nearly a dozen members of the Norwegian energy workers union SAFE have gone on strike at Reach Subsea after government mediation failed to result in an agreement.

As of Tuesday, the number of striking members increased to 11, SAFE said in an online statement. On Monday as many as 19 members participated in a strike demonstration on the quay outside Reach Subsea's headquarters in Haugesund, according to the union.

"The conflict arose because the offer fell far short of what our members expected and what comparable groups have achieved", said SAFE first deputy chair Kai Morten Anda, as translated from Norwegian.

The strike followed failed mediation in Oslo on October 14 and 15.

"We recognize our employees' wish for improved terms and conditions. Our responsibility is to balance this with the company's long-term competitiveness and ability to sustain secure jobs", Knut Jacob Medhaug, Reach Subsea vice president for operations and assets, told Rigzone.

"We believe the details of claims and offers are best addressed through dialogue between the parties, rather than through the media. We remain open to constructive dialogue with SAFE, with the aim of reaching an agreement.

"Our priority during the strike is to safeguard our people and manage the impact on our customers, with safety remaining paramount".

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In a separate dispute between SAFE and Offshore Norge, which represents oil and gas companies operating in the Norwegian continental shelf, a voluntary tribunal issued a decision that finalizes new terms in the Well Service Agreement between the two parties.

SAFE went on strike mid-June calling for updates to the agreement. Employers responded by imposing a lockout, or a legal work halt. Hostilities were paused mid-July after the parties agreed to the government mediator's proposal to leave their dispute to a voluntary wage board and restore work "as soon as practically possible", according to separate statements by SAFE and Offshore Norge at the time, as translated from Norwegian.

The tribunal issued its decision last week. "[T]he decision mainly means that the solutions that had already been established through the mediator's proposal and the settlement of the Oil Service Agreement are now also applicable to the Well Service Agreement", SAFE said October 16, as translated from Norwegian. Offshore Norge reached the Oil Service Agreement with a separate union, Styrke, last June.

"SAFE is disappointed that the arbitration panel did not uphold our demand for the continuation of the separate agreement with SLB", SAFE said.

"On the positive side, the arbitration panel rejected Offshore Norge's demand that back pay for wages, overtime and other collectively agreed changes should apply only from the date of the ruling. Instead, the panel determined that the changes are to take effect from July 14, 2026, when work resumed following the dispute. This ensures that members will receive retroactive pay for the entire period up to the issuance of the award.

"Several issues of principle remain unresolved following the ruling, including the question of the scope of the non-derogation provision in the parallel agreements. The decision provides no support for Offshore Norge's far-reaching view that all provisions of parallel agreements must necessarily be identical. On the contrary, several statements by the majority can be interpreted as supporting SAFE's position that the core of the non-derogation requirement is tied to pay and working conditions".

It added it will continue to pursue issues unresolved in the decision.

Elisabeth Brattebø Fenne, director of labor relations at Offshore Norge, said separately, "We take note of the decision and are pleased that the settlement has now been resolved".

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