The Louvre museum in Paris was forced to close on Monday when its employees went on strike over working conditions and pay, leaving thousands of potential visitors disappointed.
The strike at the world’s most visited museum in the French capital was previously unanimously supported by some 400 employees, the unions announced.
They said short-staffed museum workers were needed to cope with increasing flows of people. Management had no immediate comment.
Almost two months ago, thieves stole French crown jewels worth €88m (£76m; $102m), exposing glaring security gaps. And last week a water leak at the museum damaged hundreds of books.
In their strike notice addressed to the Minister of Culture, Rachida Dati, the CFDT, CGT and Sud unions pointed out “the deterioration of working conditions” and the “insufficient resources” at the Louvre.
“We need a change of approach… regarding the priorities and urgent needs” of the museum, said CGT representative Christian Galani, quoted by the BFMTV news website.
The Louvre’s reception and security sector, he said, “lost 200 full-time equivalent positions in the space of 15 years, while visitor numbers increased by half.”
Some people had already bought tickets for Monday.
“I am very disappointed because the Louvre was the main reason for our visit to Paris, because we wanted to see the Mona Lisa,” Minsoo Kim, who traveled from Seoul with his wife for their honeymoon, told AFP.
Natalia Brown, a Londoner, said she was also disappointed. “At the same time, I understand why they’re doing it, it’s just unfortunate timing for us,” he added.
The unions said Louvre employees would meet Wednesday morning to decide what to do next.
The museum, which closes on Tuesdays for maintenance, said it will receive 8.7 million visitors in 2024.
