Norwegian offshore unions might circle the wagons and take a vote on a strike if their employer, energy champion StatoilHydro, reorganizes its platform staff to allow freer contracted-in work at tail-end facilities and offshore installations where roaming contractors teams might need to carry out extensive maintenance and modifications, it was understood Wednesday.

StatoilHydro yesterday posted an eye-brow-raising NOK16 billion ($3.16 billion) in quarterly profit, but Norwegian business daily Dagens Næringsliv says the early retirement of some 15 percent of the company's offshore platfrom staff -- a move associated with the merger of Statoil and Hydro last year -- would force a reorganization feared by at least two of the oil company's four offshore unions.

Negotiations on a new way to organize platform crews are quietly underway in southwestern Norway.

"So far, we've had a very good (negotiating) process," chief exec, Helge Lund was quoted by the newspaper as saying.

Tags: StatoilHydro