Thousands of disappointed visitors were turned away from Paris’s famous Louvre museum on Monday.
A notice posted outside the entrance read, “Due to the strike the museum will not be open today.”
This prompted dozens of celebrating union members to shout: “We won! We won!”
Why are Louvre workers striking?
The recent high-profile robbery at France’s most visited museum has exposed long-standing causes of staff discontent, a labor union says. Namely, mismanagement and refusal to hire the adequate staff necessary for a museum of the size of the Louvre.
The strike reportedly enjoys widespread support among the 2,200-strong workforce of security guards, cashiers and researchers.
Along with the robbery of $102 million (€88 million) worth of jewelry from the Apollo Gallery, two other recent incidents made it clear how dilapidated the building had become.
In October, a gallery of ancient Greek ceramics had to be closed because its ceiling beams were in danger of collapsing. A month later, hundreds of books and manuscripts in the Egypt Department were badly damaged due to a water leak.
The museum’s lead architect, Francois Châtillon, admitted to a parliamentary inquiry last month that the building “is not in good condition.”
What were people saying outside the Louvre?
“We are angry,” Alice Muller, a security guard, told reporters. “We disagree with the way the Louvre has been managed.”
Some of the disappointed tourists expressed dismay to the French news agency AFP that a museum that welcomes millions of visitors every year could struggle so badly for funds to pay more staff.
“I am very disappointed, because the Louvre was the main reason for our visit, because we wanted to see the Mona Lisa,” a South Korean tourist told AFP.
Edited by: Wesley Dockery