The Louvre museum in Paris is closed for the day as staff strike over pay, recruitment, and management issues, causing significant revenue losses
PARIS: The Louvre museum is closed for the day due to a staff strike, marking its third closure in a month.
A spokesperson for the world’s most-visited museum confirmed it would not open.
Trade unions are demanding more recruitment, better pay, and improved maintenance of the vast former royal palace.
They have launched several days of strikes in recent months to press their demands.
Nearly 140 new hires have been announced since the strike movement began in mid-December.
Another meeting is scheduled at the culture ministry on Thursday to discuss salary increases.
Some union leaders are also contesting director Laurence des Cars’ management style, which they view as remote and inflexible.
“If we get the pay but continue with this governance model, we won’t be out of the woods,” said Valerie Baud of the CFDT union.
Her colleague Elise Muller from the SUD union added that management “digs its heels in and doesn’t recognise that it can sometimes be wrong.”
The two previous days of closures in December and January resulted in a loss of “at least one million euros” in revenue, according to management.
The strike action follows security failures highlighted by a spectacular break-in at the museum on October 19.
That incident cast a harsh spotlight on the institution’s management and director des Cars, who has apologised.
Footage of the heist was broadcast for the first time on French television on Sunday evening.
It showed brazen jewel thieves breaking into display cases.
