Norway oil service workers vote in favour of pay deal

OSLO Oct 18 (Reuters) - Norwegian oil service workers have voted in favour of a proposed wage deal, avoiding a potential strike that could have shut down a section the Norwegian oil industry, a union leader said on Thursday.

The unions and energy firms had already reached a preliminary wage deal on Sept. 22, in which the sides agreed on a 4.5 percent wage increase plus a rise in various supplements, subject to a ballot by the 5,800 employees covered under the collective agreement.

"There was a clear majority in favour of accepting the offer from the employers," Industri Energi union head Leif Sande told Reuters, adding that the acceptance ratio was about 80 percent. (Reporting by Vegard Botterli, writing by Victoria Klesty)