Louvre Museum Staff Go On Strike
The Louvre Museum is arguably one of France’s most popular tourist spots. Due to this, it is usually open most days and for a reasonable number of hours. However, tourists on Monday were surprised when they found out the museum was closed due to the workers going on strike. A spokeswoman for the Louvre Museum clarified that it was a “social movement.”
While the tourists waited outside, the workers were holding a meeting inside to discuss many conditions such as workplace conditions. This was the result of a wildcat strike, an unauthorized strike that was not voted on by the workers’ union. A spokesman for the workers‘ union commented that they didn’t plan for the strike, but the workers were exhausted and the conditions just kept getting worse. Most workers report being stressed. In the last 15 years, around 200 jobs at the Louvre were lost. The Louvre eventually reopened at 2:30 p.m. that day.
The Louvre has had a longstanding struggle with having too many tourists, although the situation has seen some improvement after the COVID-19 pandemic. These improvements include changing the daily attendance from 45,000 to 30,000, and raising the prize ticket from 17 euros to 22 euros. However, this did not do much to change the problem, due to something called the “Mona Lisa Problem”. As you might know, the Mona Lisa is one of the most famous art pieces ever created. It is probably the most well-known art piece in the world. In the Louvre, it is set behind a glass case. On a daily basis, thousands of visitors pack the room to view and take pictures with the piece. This causes much stress for both the staff and the visitors.
The strike at the Louvre may have been influenced by recent protests in popular tourist countries. Activists have revealed that they are frustrated by the constant stream of tourists in their countries. They blame problems such as rising housing costs and damage to the cities and the environment on excessive tourism. These strikes and protests showed the recent tensions between cultural preservation and tourism. The balance is currently very delicate and could lead to many new changes and reforms for the tourism industry.
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