Louvre Closes Doors Due To Museum Worker Strike

On June 16, the Louvre Museum in Paris, France failed to open on time due to a staff strike. The unexpected event left thousands of tourists stranded outside the world’s most visited museum.

The global symbol of art is home to famous works like the Mona Lisa and Venus de Milo. Because of this, the Louvre has been attracting many tourists, causing overtourism and overcrowding. In recent years, the museum has had almost 9 million visitors annually. This spurred the museum administrators to implement a daily cap of 30,000 people.

The strike started in the morning when employees like gallery attendants and ticket agents refused to show up at their posts in protest. Workers claimed that the visitor flow is poorly managed, and crowds are becoming disrespectful towards the museum, its art, and its staff. Additionally, there was understaffing and what one union called “untenable” working conditions. Staff say that it has become a dreadful experience everyday with too few rest areas, limited bathrooms, and summer heat magnified by the greenhouse effect of the glass pyramid.

Furthermore, locals report that overtourism is lowering the quality of life, causing lasting environmental damage, and has inflated costs for housing.

Outside in the glaring sun, thousands of tourists waited confused and frustrated by the lack of information. The museum finally reopened at 2:30pm, closing just three-and-a-half hours later in the evening. It will open again on Wednesday, following its usual schedule.

President Emmanuel Macron proposed a new idea called the “Louvre New Renaissance,” where the Mona Lisa will get her own room that will be accessible through a timed-entry ticket. This design will limit crowd sizes and hopefully improve the visitor experience. However, the full renovation is not expected to be done until 2031, causing some workers to argue that it is too late to address the current issues.

“We can’t wait six years for help,” said Sarah Sefian, a front-of-house gallery attendant and visitor services agent. “Our teams are under pressure now. It’s not just about the art — it’s about the people protecting it.” (https://apnews.com/article/louvre-museum-paris-closed-lines-delay-2bbf9be4f49de739fd14dd4d908e4d72)