Centre Pompidou staff strike over job security concerns ahead of 2025 renovation closure

On Monday 16 October, workers at the Centre Pompidou conducted a one-day strike, expressing anxiety about employment stability as the museum prepares for a five-year renovation beginning in 2025. The closure will impact more than 1000 employees, including front-of-house personnel, security teams, and conservators. CGT-Culture, the cultural division of one of France's five major national trade union confederations, voiced concerns not only for the immediate future but also for 2030, when the Renzo Piano and Richard Rogers-designed building is scheduled to reopen. Discussions with the French Ministry of Culture are currently underway. This labor action follows previous strikes at the institution, such as a 2017 walkout over pay that kept the museum shut for 12 days. The pressure from the strike forced the relocation of the Prix Marcel Duchamp award ceremony to Parisian auction house Artcurial, where Palestinian-Swedish artist Tarik Kiswanson was named the winner. In a related context, unionized workers at the Whitney Museum recently ratified their contract after 16 months of negotiations, which included demonstrations at the 2022 Whitney Biennial opening. Faiza Mahmood, an industrial relations officer at the UK's Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers Union (RMT), noted in an ArtReview article that cultural institution funders are particularly sensitive to public perception.