Louvre staff at a general meeting voted to continue the indefinite strike, which began on December 15. The museum management announced a partial resumption of operations at the Louvre, which had been closed since Monday, writes the BBC.
Entrance to the Louvre. Photo: AP Photo/Emma Da Silva
On Wednesday morning, hundreds of tourists queued at the entrance to the Louvre. However, the museum, which had been closed since Monday due to a staff strike, did not open as scheduled. Later, a museum spokesperson announced that the Louvre would partially resume operations on December 17.
"The museum is open, but some sections are not accessible to visitors due to renovations," the spokesperson noted.
Tickets for day and evening visits to the Louvre on December 17 are being sold on the museum's website. A significant portion of the halls, according to information on the museum's website, remains closed. The most visited museum in the world closed its doors to visitors on Monday after staff announced a strike and began a protest action at the museum's entrance.
On Monday, representatives of the French Ministry of Culture held negotiations with trade unions and proposed canceling the planned reduction in museum funding (previously, a reduction of $6.7 million was discussed) in 2026, increasing the number of museum security staff and supervisors, and raising staff salaries.
However, trade union representatives stated that the proposed measures were insufficient. On Tuesday, the museum was closed, as it is its regular day off. On Wednesday, the museum did not open as scheduled. Hundreds of tourists gathered at the entrance to the Louvre in the morning, awaiting the museum's opening.
"We don't know yet if we will open. Come back later," security guards told visitors who wished to enter the museum.
A tourist from Spain told Reuters that he had been waiting for an hour but was sympathetic to the unions' decision. "I have three days in Paris, I would really like to visit the Louvre, but if it's not possible, I understand their demands," he said.
Three French trade unions announced an indefinite strike by Louvre staff starting December 15 at the beginning of December. Museum employees are protesting against overtime practices and demanding improved working conditions.
Earlier, the trade unions sent a letter to the Ministry of Culture stating that various departments of the Louvre are regularly closed due to "staff shortages, as well as technical failures and the dilapidation of the building."
Additionally, the trade union noted that the workload on staff is constantly increasing, which negatively affects the psychological state of employees. The Louvre employs about 2500 people. According to information obtained by Le Monde, while only 37 times in 2022 did employees seek psychological counseling for work-related issues, in 2024, the number of employees who sought psychological help due to increased workload was 146.
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