The Louvre museum in Paris was forced to close on Monday as its employees went on strike over working conditions and pay, leaving thousands of would-be visitors disappointed.
The walkout at the world’s most visited museum in the French capital was earlier backed unanimously by some 400 staff, trade unions announced.
They said understaffed museum workers were being required to cope with ever increasing flows of people. The management did not comment immediately.
Nearly two months ago burglars stole French crown jewels worth €88m (£76m; $102m), exposing glaring security gaps. And last week a water leak in the museum damaged hundreds of books.
In their strike notice to Culture Minister Rachida Dati, the CFDT, CGT and Sud unions pointed to “deteriorating working conditions” and “insufficient resources” at the Louvre.
“We need a change of approach… regarding the priorities and urgent needs” of the museum, CGT representative Christian Galani was quoted as saying by BFMTV news website.
The Louvre’s reception and security sector, he said, had “lost 200 full-time equivalent positions in the space of 15 years, while visitor numbers have increased by half”.
Some people had already purchased tickets for Monday.
“I’m very disappointed because the Louvre was the main reason for our visit in Paris, because we wanted to see the Mona Lisa,” Minsoo Kim, who travelled from Seoul with his wife for their honeymoon, told AFP news agency.
Natalia Brown, a Londoner, said she was also disappointed. “At the same time, I understand why they’re doing it, it’s just unfortunate timing for us,” she added.
The unions said Louvre employees would gather on Wednesday morning to decide what to do next.
The museum – which is closed on Tuesdays for maintenance – said it welcomed 8.7 million visitors in 2024.
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