(Adds detail)
By Nerijus Adomaitis
OSLO, Sept 25 (Reuters) - Norwegian oil firms plan to close
down 22% of the country's oil and gas output, or 900,000 barrels
of oil equivalent per day, if workers go on strike next week,
the Norwegian Oil and Gas Association (NOG) said on Friday.
Some 324 workers out of 7,300 employees on offshore
platforms plan to strike from Sept. 30 if annual pay
negotiations with employers fail, trade unions Safe, Industri
Energi and Lederne said on Wednesday.
If Norway's state-appointed mediator is unable to broker a
deal, union members will be eligible to go on strike and the
dispute could subsequently be escalated.
Norway pumps just over 4 million barrels of oil equivalents
per day (boed), half in the form of crude and other liquids and
half from natural gas, making it a major global energy supplier.
Fields and platforms that could be forced to shut are Johan
Sverdrup, Snorre B, Kvitebjoern, Aasta Hansteen, Kristin,
Tyrihans and Valemon, the NOG said.
At the Johan Sverdrup field, the largest oil-producing field
in Western Europe, 88 workers from Safe and 43 from Lederne
would go on strike, including some control-room operators,
officials at the two unions said on Wednesday.
(Writing by Terje Solsvik, editing by Gwladys Fouche)