The three unions involved have around 8,100 members involved in oil production.

Of those, 617 would take part in an initial wave of strikes ​if talks break down, with the option to escalate ​action over time.

It was not immediately clear whether a strike ⁠would impact Norway’s petroleum output.

The workers, organised by unions Styrke, ​Lederne and Safe, are seeking pay rises above inflation and other changes ​to their contracts, but have not disclosed details of their demands.

The negotiations between Norwegian oil companies and the three labour unions cover most workers on Norway’s ​offshore oil and gas installations, and failure to come to an ​agreement can lead to production curtailment.

Offshore Norway, which represents the oil industry in ‌the ⁠wage talks, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Norway produces more than 4 million barrels of oil equivalent per day, almost equally divided between crude and natural gas, and any reduction could ​impact markets at ​a time when ⁠Middle East output is curtailed by the Iran war.

Norway is Europe’s largest supplier of natural gas, delivering about ​one-third of the continent’s annual consumption, and it meets around ​15% of ⁠the region’s demand for oil.

Global energy prices have risen sharply this year following the US-Israeli war against Iran and the latter’s attacks on ⁠neighbouring ​countries and a blockade of the Strait ​of Hormuz, a key export route for oil and LNG from the Middle East.