The Kuwait Oil Workers Union on Wednesday called off a "total strike" and decided to return to work, hours after a fresh appeal by the acting oil minister, AFP.

"In respect for the emir and in loyalty to him... we have decided to cancel the total strike," an official statement by the union said, ending action that had given support to oil prices.

The statement said workers would go back to work at 0400 GMT.

The surprising decision came only hours after the union leaders told a press conference that they would continue their strike, having rejected all appeals.

The union leaders insisted that they would end the strike only after all their demands were met in full including the scrapping of plans to cut their wages and benefits.

The union said in the new statement that the strike was "extremely successful" and conveyed the workers' message to authorities about their rights.

Kuwait's crude production dropped from 3.0 million barrels per day to just 1.5 million bpd and refining output dived to 520,000 bpd from 930,000 bpd.

The workers' demands included abolishing decisions by authorities to cut some incentives in the face of falling oil prices and excluding the oil sector from a new payroll scheme for public servants.