Paris: Eiffel Tower employees went on strike this Monday

“Due to the notice of strike by some Eiffel Tower employees, the opening of the Eiffel Tower will be disrupted on February 19, 2024,” the Monument Operating Company (Sete) said on its official website, asking tourists to postpone their visit.

The entry into force this Monday of the renewed strike, unanimously adopted at the General Assembly last week, follows a call by several trade unions in Sète. The CGT and the Force Ouvrière are demanding better financial management of the Paris City Hall building, which owns 99% of the capital of Sète. This contract, signed in 2017, runs until 2030.

The Eiffel Tower has already closed its doors for the same reasons on the centenary of the death of engineer Gustave Eiffel, December 27. The union has already condemned the “overambitious and unsustainable (economic) model” for “underestimating the works budget” for the monument, as well as “overestimating revenues based on annual attendance targets of 7.4 million visitors.” Or “never before achieved levels of attendance.”

“Visitors may be harmed”

They also note an increase in the fee levied by the municipality, which will increase from 16 million euros per year to 50 million per year, despite the unsuitable context for this, according to the unions. “Covid has had an impact on the postponement of some projects,” Sethe also explains, highlighting that the health crisis and the closure of the Iron Lady for a year due to work would have resulted in a loss of prescriptions worth 130 million euros. “Similarly, multiple construction sites cannot be carried out simultaneously for safety reasons, requiring new phasing and a preference for work at night, which is more expensive. Finally, the complexity of working on a 135-year-old tower and the need to be vigilant, especially given the presence of lead in old paints,” she continues.

Indeed, one of France’s most visited monuments was repainted almost 14 years ago instead of the usual seven years. “It is obvious that it is in disrepair. Under the tower, if you get closer, you can really see traces of rust. There are employees who have worked for more than 30 years, they have never seen anything like this,” Denis Vavassori, a representative of the CGT trade union, complained in an interview with France Info.

“At a social level, the amendment to the Delegation of Public Services (DSP) contract does not provide for any changes in employment policy in accordance with our successive agreements on this issue. It is important to emphasize that the implementation of this chipboard project will not lead to any reductions,” the operator company still wanted to reassure.

A general meeting of the CGT-FO union is due to take place this Monday morning, starting at 9am, to approve the start of the strike. “Visitors may suffer, we are very sorry, but this should guarantee an optimal quality of visit for years to come,” Stéphane Dieu, CGT delegate for the Eiffel Tower staff, told France Info.