Norway hours away from oil shutdown, eye on govt

OSLO (Reuters) - The first total shutdown of Norway's oil industry in more than 25 years may be hours away if the government does not intervene in a tussle between striking offshore workers and employers and allows a steep cut in European oil supplies.

The strike over pensions has kept oil prices on the boil as the market is surprised by a lack of government action to avert a plan by the oil industry to lock out all offshore staff from their workplaces from midnight (2200 GMT).