The Eiffel Tower was closed on Monday after staff walked out in protest of the exclusion and replacement of female employees during a visit by a Hindu delegation. The monument’s operator said the group had asked for a private visit to limit interaction with women and admitted that such conditions should not have been accepted.
Reasons for the staff protest
Eiffel Tower staff were shocked by reports that female employees were sidelined during the delegation’s visit on Saturday. A statement from the CGT union condemned the work instructions that led to female staff being sidelined, replaced and rendered invisible on the basis of their gender.
The delegation’s visit to Paris coincided with the opening of a temple near the French capital, built by the Hindu denomination Bochasanwasi Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha (BAPS).
Deputy Mayor of Paris Emmanuel Gregoire supported the strike in a post on X, calling the exclusion of female staff unacceptable and contrary to the values upheld by the Eiffel Tower.
Source: France 24
