Read news from:
Austria
SHARE
COPY LINK
For members

PARIS

What we know about the Louvre strike so far (and how long will it last?)

Thousands of tourists were left disappointed on Monday as reception and security employees at the Louvre in Paris went on strike, claiming the museum is "suffocating" due to overcrowding and is understaffed. Here's what we know about the walkout so far.

Published: 27 May 2019 16:23 CEST
What we know about the Louvre strike so far (and how long will it last?)
The Louvre had a record 10.2 million visitors in 2018. File photo: AFP

What's going on?

The hugely popular Louvre in Paris did not open its doors on Monday after the museum's reception and security staff announced they were staging a walkout due to overcrowding and a decline in the number of staff.

CGT-Culture National Secretary Christian Galani said that workers had made the decision after a discussion of grievances during a training session on Monday morning.

Thousands of tourists queuing outside the world famous museum – which houses the Mona Lisa among many other works – were left disappointed.

In a statement the Sud Culture Solidaires union said: “The Louvre is suffocating” and that staff members have noticed a “deterioration in conditions for visitors and workers”. 
 
READ ALSO:
 

Why exactly are the unions and staff angry?

In 2018, more than 10.2 million people visited the Louvre.

“This represents an increase of 20 percent since 2009, but the palace has not grown,” said the union, adding that during this time the number of staff members has decreased.

The union claims that since 2009, visitor number have increased while staff numbers have dropped from 2,161 to 2,005.

The union said that staff members are “dismayed” by the “shameful image we give of our establishment”, adding that the overcrowded conditions are a danger to the public.

“But to date, no urgent, concrete measures nor any solutions have been brought to us,” said the statement, adding that the staff are forced to deal with visitors who are angry about the conditions of the Louvre 

“What to say about visiting conditions when people are confronted with noise, trampling, crowds, extreme fatigue and the total inadequacy of museum facilities when there is such a high volume of visitors? We refuse to continue to be insulted by the angry public!”

Since the beginning of the year, the union says, the museum has welcomed an average of 100,000 more visitors a month, putting the average number of visitors per day at 40,000.
 
“And this is just the beginning! We all know that the season is just starting.”
 
'Suffocating' Louvre closed as security staff go on strike due to overcrowdingPhoto: AFP
 
What are the unions demanding?
 
The union said on Monday that it wanted the Louvre to employ the right number of staff for the job, and a “rapid introduction” of a regulation that only allows a certain number of people into the building at any one time to meet security requirements. 
 
“And beyond this immediate necessity, the Louvre must be part of a deep reflection to redefine our mission. Get out of mass tourism, stop the establishment from turning into a cultural Disneyland, to offer a culture of quality for all, this is the challenge of these decisions!”
 
How long will it go on for?

The staff have decided to return to the job for the time being, after management proposed taking steps to improve the situation. 

Christian Galani told The Local that employees discussed management's proposals during a lively general meeting Wednesday morning, and ultimately decided to give them a try.
 
The measures included the implementation of a system of mandatory reservations, the hiring of an additional 30 staff members and spreading out the calendar of numerous construction and renovation projects, which employees say increase tension and crowding in the museum. 
 
What have the Louvre management said?
 
The management of the Louvre said that after Monday's closure and the late opening on Wednesday, opening hours are back to normal. However, the museum's Twitter account is strongly advising people to buy their tickets in advance online, saying that only pre-bought tickets will guarantee entrance to the museum.

Member comments

Log in here to leave a comment.
Become a Member to leave a comment.

TRAVEL NEWS

German train strike wave to end following new labour agreement

Germany's Deutsche Bahn rail operator and the GDL train drivers' union have reached a deal in a wage dispute that has caused months of crippling strikes in the country, the union said.

Published: 26 March 2024 09:55 CET
German train strike wave to end following new labour agreement

“The German Train Drivers’ Union (GDL) and Deutsche Bahn have reached a wage agreement,” GDL said in a statement.

Further details will be announced in a press conference on Tuesday, the union said. A spokesman for Deutsche Bahn also confirmed that an agreement had been reached.

Train drivers have walked out six times since November, causing disruption for huge numbers of passengers.

The strikes have often lasted for several days and have also caused disruption to freight traffic, with the most recent walkout in mid-March.

In late January, rail traffic was paralysed for five days on the national network in one of the longest strikes in Deutsche Bahn’s history.

READ ALSO: Why are German train drivers launching more strike action?

Europe’s largest economy has faced industrial action for months as workers and management across multiple sectors wrestle over terms amid high inflation and weak business activity.

The strikes have exacerbated an already gloomy economic picture, with the German economy shrinking 0.3 percent across the whole of last year.

What we know about the new offer so far

Through the new agreement, there will be optional reduction of a work week to 36 hours at the start of 2027, 35.5 hours from 2028 and then 35 hours from 2029. For the last three stages, employees must notify their employer themselves if they wish to take advantage of the reduction steps.

However, they can also opt to work the same or more hours – up to 40 hours per week are possible in under the new “optional model”.

“One thing is clear: if you work more, you get more money,” said Deutsche Bahn spokesperson Martin Seiler. Accordingly, employees will receive 2.7 percent more pay for each additional or unchanged working hour.

According to Deutsche Bahn, other parts of the agreement included a pay increase of €420 per month in two stages, a tax and duty-free inflation adjustment bonus of €2,850 and a term of 26 months.

Growing pressure

Last year’s walkouts cost Deutsche Bahn some €200 million, according to estimates by the operator, which overall recorded a net loss for 2023 of €2.35 billion.

Germany has historically been among the countries in Europe where workers went on strike the least.

But since the end of 2022, the country has seen growing labour unrest, while real wages have fallen by four percent since the start of the war in Ukraine.

German airline Lufthansa is also locked in wage disputes with ground staff and cabin crew.

Several strikes have severely disrupted the group’s business in recent weeks and will weigh on first-quarter results, according to the group’s management.

Airport security staff have also staged several walkouts since January.

Some politicians have called for Germany to put in place rules to restrict critical infrastructure like rail transport from industrial action.

But Chancellor Olaf Scholz has rejected the calls, arguing that “the right to strike is written in the constitution… and that is a democratic right for which unions and workers have fought”.

The strikes have piled growing pressure on the coalition government between Scholz’s Social Democrats, the Greens and the pro-business FDP, which has scored dismally in recent opinion polls.

The far-right AfD has been enjoying a boost in popularity amid the unrest with elections in three key former East German states due to take place later this year.

SHOW COMMENTS