OSLO (Reuters) - Norwegian labour unions and oil rig owners agreed a wage deal on Friday, averting the outbreak of a strike that would have halted some of the Nordic country's crude production and paralysed exploration activity for new resources, the unions said.
The deal between the Norwegian Shipowners' Association and the Industri Energi and Safe labour unions was brokered by a state-appointed mediator.
Almost 1,600 workers had been scheduled to go on strike if the talks broke down.
Companies drilling on behalf of oil firms in Norwegian waters include Transocean, Dolphin Drilling, Odfjell Drilling, Rowan Companies, Maersk Drilling and Seadrill.
Oil companies, including Equinor, Eni, Aker BP, Shell and Lundin Petroleum were among the firms that could have been hit, directly or indirectly, by a strike.
(Reporting by Terje Solsvik, editing by Gwladys Fouche)
