Calm under pressure

Greater attention than ever is being given to security and safety in the Norwegian petroleum sector. Two unions have given their views on the way workers in the industry are experiencing this.

“If I’d been asked six months ago about the security position, I’d undoubtedly have said that many people feel a bit fearful about working offshore,” says Henrik Solvorn Fjeldsbø. 

A national officer in the Norwegian Union of Industry and Energy Workers (IE) and a member of the Safety Forum, he relates such fears to drone observations and the Ukraine war at the time. 

But conditions have grown calmer, he says, and adds that the position today is not entirely negative. 

“Norway’s the biggest gas supplier to a Europe in crisis. That’s made us most conscious that we work in a special, socially useful industry. 

“The political wind and popular support for maintaining the oil and gas industry have also shifted. We find many people are more positive to our industry today, and more see that the green shift isn’t simply a matter of shutting down this sector.” 

Challenging 

But Fjeldsbø makes it clear that needing clearance to access much of the information related to security presents a challenge to tripartite collaboration between employers, unions and government. 

He has personally experienced these parties getting input from different sources. Even when everyone has the same information, moreover, discussing it openly in joint meetings is impossible. 

“We must dare to question which risks must be open, and what lessons we’re now able to draw if we can’t freely debate the challenges,” he says. 

“Tripartite collaboration is based on openness, trust and dialogue, and on jointly finding the best solutions.  

“When so much of the information is confidential, it restricts the way we work. We don’t get all the good contributions which could have been provided.” 

But he admits the position is unique. “We’ve never been involved in anything similar. The question therefore is what processes we now need to share more information if we later find ourselves in similar circumstances.” 

Threats 

Peter B Sabel, a shop steward for the Norwegian Society of Graduate Technical and Scientific Professionals (Tekna) in Equinor and a Safety Forum member, notes that the industry has experienced threats before. 
These included demonstrations and campaigns by various groups, but he admits that the position which emerged in 2022 nevertheless falls into a different category. 

“Some workers undoubtedly felt uncomfortable when the land-based plants were shielded by armed personnel from the Home Guard. However, my impression is that this settled down and the extra security became part of the new normal.” 

In the wake of the drone incidents and the sabotage of the Nord Stream pipelines, many questions were put by members to Tekna’s shop stewards. 

“The companies took the need for information seriously, and the questions rapidly tailed off,” says Sabel. “Our impression is that most employees understand the need for security measures. 

“Senior union officers have found there has been regular, good and open dialogue throughout the period – as open as possible, where security is concerned. We try to communicate this on to other shop stewards and our members.” 

Functioned well 

Security, particularly for ICT, has attracted much attention in the industry for a time, and Sabel feels that tripartite collaboration has functioned well. 
“A Safety Forum work group on digitalisation, HSE and tripartite collaboration delivered a very good report last year, including a number of recommendations for further improvement. 

“Some people are undoubtedly more affected physically and mentally by the position than others, and it’s important that they’re properly looked after. But our experience is that this has generally gone well.” 

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