NEWS

A Norwegian oil-workers union said it’s ready to go on strike over pensions in a move that threatens to cut oil production from Exxon Mobil Corp.’s platforms in the North Sea by more than 60,000 barrels a day.

A court in Oslo today ruled that a strike notice by the Safe union that would affect three Exxon platforms is legal, clearing the way for a walkout, according to the group’s leader, Hilde-Marit Rysst. While the union is yet to decide on a public mediator’s proposal that seeks to bridge differences with employers, it will do so by the June 27 midday deadline, she said by phone today.

“Everything is set” for a strike, Rysst said. The mediator’s proposal, endorsed by the Norwegian Oil and Gas Association, which represents employers in wage negotiations, “is not good enough,” she said.