Eiffel Tower Employees to Strike This Monday

Posted on February 19, 2024February 20, 2024 by admin

The Monument Operating Company (Sete) has announced that the opening of the Eiffel Tower will be disrupted on February 19, 2024, due to a strike notice issued by some of its staff. This information was disclosed on the official website of the company, and tourists are advised to reschedule their visits to the iconic monument.

This strike, which comes into effect this Monday, was unanimously voted for at the general assembly held last week. The strike was called for by several unions within Sete, including the CGT and Force Ouvrière. These unions are demanding improved financial management of the monument from the Paris town hall, which owns 99% of Sete’s capital. The contract under dispute was signed in 2017 and is expected to run until 2030.

This is not the first time the Eiffel Tower has had to close its doors due to such disputes. On December 27, the tower was closed to mark the centenary of the death of its engineer, Gustave Eiffel. At that time, the union organization criticized the economic model of the tower’s operation as overly ambitious and unfeasible, citing undervalued budgets for the maintenance of the monument and overestimated revenues based on an unrealistic annual visitor target of 7.4 million. This target, they claimed, had never been achieved before.

“Visitors may suffer”

The unions further pointed out that the municipality’s fee would increase from 16 million euros per year to 50 million per year, a change they deemed unreasonable given the current circumstances. Sete, in response, explained that the Covid-19 pandemic had caused some projects to be postponed, leading to a loss of 130 million euros in revenue due to the year-long closure of the Eiffel Tower. The company also stated that multiple construction projects could not be carried out simultaneously for safety reasons, necessitating new phasing and favoring more expensive nighttime work. They underlined the complexity of working on a 135-year-old structure, especially considering the presence of lead in old paints.

Indeed, the Eiffel Tower, one of France’s most visited monuments, was last repainted nearly 14 years ago, in contrast to the usual seven-year cycle. Union representative Denis Vavassori expressed his concern about the state of the tower, pointing out visible signs of rust and deterioration. He expressed particular concern for the long-serving staff members who had never witnessed such neglect.

Despite the union’s concerns, the operating company has attempted to provide reassurances. They clarified that the amendment to the public service delegation contract does not include changes to the employment policy, in accordance with previous agreements on the subject. They emphasized that the implementation of this project would not result in any layoffs.

The CGT-FO inter-union is scheduled to hold a general meeting this Monday morning at 9 a.m. to confirm the commencement of the strike. Stéphane Dieu, CGT delegate of the Eiffel Tower employees, expressed regret that the situation might inconvenience visitors. However, he emphasized that the strike was necessary to ensure the quality of future visits to the tower.