Louvre staff stage surprise strike over overcrowding and working conditions

On Monday, staff at the Louvre Museum in Paris unexpectedly halted work, resulting in the museum's closure for over four hours, reopening at 2:30 PM local time. This stoppage followed a routine union meeting where employees expressed concerns about worsening working conditions and excessive visitor numbers. A union representative informed AP News that what started as a regular monthly meeting evolved into a significant display of frustration. Over the past fifteen years, the museum has seen a loss of 200 jobs, while daily visitor limits have been reduced to 30,000 since 2023, down from 45,000. Museum director Laurence des Cars had previously voiced similar worries in a leaked letter to culture minister Rachida Dati. Following this, President Emmanuel Macron revealed plans to relocate the Mona Lisa to a new exhibition space, requiring a separate ticket to alleviate crowding. This €400 million initiative, partially funded by Louvre Abu Dhabi, aims to construct a new entrance and is expected to be completed by 2031. The C.G.T-Culture union organized the strike without a membership vote, with a museum spokesperson characterizing the event as a social movement, as French law mandates prior notice for strikes.