Losing Control? Norway's Oil Workers Fear for Future as Rigs Go Remote
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Losing control? Norway's oil workers fear for future as rigs go remote:
OSLO (Reuters) - A shift to operating oil rigs remotely from land, which has been accelerated by lower crude prices, has rekindled concerns among Norwegian unions over the impact on the safety of offshore workers and the loss of well-paid jobs.
These fears were highlighted by Lederne, one of three unions representing offshore workers, which this month shut six fields in a strike that threatened a quarter of Norway's oil and gas output, rattling global oil markets.
"The strike was not against moving controls onshore. But we needed to get the deal for our members to also be a part of the discussions about moving controls onshore and their safety," Lederne leader Audun Ingvartsen told Reuters.
Lederne, whose strike ended on Oct. 9, is the only Norwegian oil and gas workers union which did not have an agreement for its members at onshore control rooms. Oil companies started experimenting with remote controls about seven years ago, first with smaller, unmanned installations off the coast of Norway.
Europe's largest oil and gas producer has since become a testing ground for industry attempts to turn this technology to larger, manned platforms.
Lower oil prices and the coronavirus crisis are accelerating this shift, prompting concerns about the safety of staff still working offshore on rigs.
"Our members still wonder whether this (onshore controls) is good enough, whether it is safe enough," Ingvartsen said.
Both Ingvartsen and Hilde-Marit Rysst, head of another union, Safe, said their member concerns relate to situational awareness of those working offshore and on land.
"When you sit on the bomb, you will react differently than when you are far away from it," Rysst said.
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