Workers are protesting deteriorating conditions and a lack of resources and demanding investment in building safety and rehabilitation.
The Louvre is closed this Monday 15th due to a call for a strike by unions protesting against working conditions in the most visited museum in the world. Last week, a water leak damaged hundreds of documents in the Egyptian Antiquities Library.
This Monday, at the entrance to the establishment, near the large glass pyramid, a poster indicated: “The opening of the museum is postponed. We will inform you as soon as possible of the conditions of a possible opening.”
Shortly after, Louvre employees voted to continue the strike to protest against the “deterioration of working conditions” and “insufficiency of resources” at the museum.
Nearly 400 employees voted “unanimously” in favor of the strike, which could be extended, announced the CGT and CFDT unions.
“A change of direction is necessary (…) in view of the priorities and urgent needs” of the establishment, mainly “the security and rehabilitation of the building”, declared Christian Galani, CGT union delegate.
The museum management, contacted by AFP, indicated that it was counting the employees who did not join the strike to try to open the establishment at some point during the day.
Deep reorganization
Visitors who already had tickets did not hide their frustration. Pietra, a 27-year-old Brazilian who is staying four days in Paris with her family, said she was “very disappointed” by the closure.
The Louvre, which welcomed nearly nine million visitors in 2024, is going through a strong crisis, worsened after the robbery of October 19when four men invaded the premises through a window and, in a few minutes, took several crown jewels valued at around 540 million reais.
The establishment also had to close a gallery in November due to the deterioration of the building and, a few weeks ago, suffered a water leak which damaged hundreds of works in the library of Egyptian Antiquities.
The theft of the jewels highlighted the museum’s security problems. Even though French President Emmanuel Macron presented the establishment’s renovation project with great fanfare, its modernization became more urgent than ever after the heist.
The museum needs a “profound reorganization,” Culture Minister Rachida Dati said last week. “Essential measures must be taken that go well beyond protection and security,” he said, without giving further details.
Meanwhile, Senate hearings continue to investigate the security flaws that enabled the theft. On Tuesday, Jean-Luc Martinez, who directed the museum from 2013 to 2021, will appear for the first time before senators. His successor, Laurence des Cars, will address the senators again the next day./With information from AFP.
Two suspects are arrested for stealing jewelry from the Louvre:
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