[France] Worker pay strike closes Eiffel Tower

On February 19, visitors were turned away from Paris’s iconic Eiffel Tower after a strike over poor financial management closed the popular attraction, Global News reports.

A sign, in English, was posted at its entrance. It read, “Due to a strike, the Eiffel Tower is closed. We apologize.”

Visits to the 1083-foot-tall tower have rapidly increased in the lead-up to the Summer Olympics.

Tourists planning to visit on Monday 19 were reportedly warned about disruptions in multiple languages on the Eiffel Tower website and advised to check the site again before going or to postpone their trip. Electronic ticket owners were told to check their inboxes beforehand.

The tower’s operator stated on its website that visits will also be disrupted on February 20.

The Eiffel Tower is ordinarily open 365 days a year but the February 19 closure is the second in two months due to strikes. In December, the monument was closed to visitors for an entire day during the Christmas and New Year’s holidays because of a strike over contract negotiations.

Stephane Dieu of the CGT union, which represents a large number of the Eiffel Tower’s employees, said the strike action is intended to achieve a salary increase in proportion to the incoming revenue from ticket sales and improved maintenance of the landmark, owned by the Paris municipality.

Union leaders have reportedly been critical of the Eiffel Tower operator’s business model, claiming it is based on an inflated estimate of future visitor numbers, maintenance cost expenses and employees’ work compensation.

“They are giving priority to short-term benefits over long-term conservation of the monument and the well-being of the company we are working for,” Mr Dieu said during an AP interview at the Eiffel Tower picket line on February 19.

Source: Global News

(Quotes via original reporting)

On February 19, visitors were turned away from Paris’s iconic Eiffel Tower after a strike over poor financial management closed the popular attraction, Global News reports.

A sign, in English, was posted at its entrance. It read, “Due to a strike, the Eiffel Tower is closed. We apologize.”

Visits to the 1083-foot-tall tower have rapidly increased in the lead-up to the Summer Olympics.

Tourists planning to visit on Monday 19 were reportedly warned about disruptions in multiple languages on the Eiffel Tower website and advised to check the site again before going or to postpone their trip. Electronic ticket owners were told to check their inboxes beforehand.

The tower’s operator stated on its website that visits will also be disrupted on February 20.

The Eiffel Tower is ordinarily open 365 days a year but the February 19 closure is the second in two months due to strikes. In December, the monument was closed to visitors for an entire day during the Christmas and New Year’s holidays because of a strike over contract negotiations.

Stephane Dieu of the CGT union, which represents a large number of the Eiffel Tower’s employees, said the strike action is intended to achieve a salary increase in proportion to the incoming revenue from ticket sales and improved maintenance of the landmark, owned by the Paris municipality.

Union leaders have reportedly been critical of the Eiffel Tower operator’s business model, claiming it is based on an inflated estimate of future visitor numbers, maintenance cost expenses and employees’ work compensation.

“They are giving priority to short-term benefits over long-term conservation of the monument and the well-being of the company we are working for,” Mr Dieu said during an AP interview at the Eiffel Tower picket line on February 19.

Source: Global News

(Quotes via original reporting)