The Louvre Museum, a worldwide symbol of art and culture, experienced a day of tension and forced closure when its employees called a sudden strike yesterday, Monday, June 16, to protest working conditions that have become, in their words, untenable. The museum’s gates, usually open to floods of tourists from the early morning hours, remained closed until early afternoon, leaving thousands of visitors bewildered under the famous glass pyramid. The reason, however, was not a technical glitch or a security alert, but a gesture of disruption on the part of those who, every day, are responsible for welcoming, protecting and managing the world’s most visited heritage site. The strike was decided this morning, at the time, following a meeting among museum staff. However, this is not the first time that unannounced strikes have been called at the Louvre, although it is quite rare to happen.
Behind the lockout is a cry of alarm that has long been making its way through the halls of the museum: too many visitors, too few staff, limited resources, wearisome pace of work. The tip of the iceberg is represented by the Salle des États, or the room that houses the Mona Lisa, where about 20,000 people crowd in every day. An environment that, for those who work there, is becoming unlivable. But the Mona Lisa is but the most visible example of a broader phenomenon: a museum designed to accommodate a certain amount of public is now having to deal with increasing volumes without ever having received a proportional adjustment in funds, space or personnel.
Sarah Sefian, CGT-Culture union representative, spoke of “constant pressure” on operations teams and a situation that is no longer sustainable in the short term. Management, the unions say, has reportedly promised interventions in the coming years as part of the “Louvre Nouvelle Renaissance” project, a 10-year 700 to 800 million euro plan announced by President Emmanuel Macron to renovate the museum. But workers retort that the problem is not the future: it is today. “We can’t wait six years for help,” Sefian said, reminding that it’s not just about the artworks, but also about the people who protect them and make them accessible to the world.
The inconvenience was felt from the early morning hours as hundreds of tourists, from all over the world, gathered in front of the closed entrance. Information came slowly, creating confusion among those who had booked months in advance for a visit they had waited a lifetime for. Some reacted with resignation, others with annoyance. Kevin Ward, a tourist who arrived from Milwaukee, joked, telling France 24, “It’s the Mona Lisa’s day off, I guess.” But behind the jokes lay the frustration of a lost day, and disappointment at the lack of official communication, which left many unaware until past noon.
Meanwhile, inside the museum, mobilization was united. Unions have complained of daily overload for workers, forced to handle flows of visitors that exceed the physical capacity of the spaces. Overly cramped halls, water leaks that have never been repaired, and the condition of the halls (all problems also denounced in a briefing by director Laurence des Cars in recent months, which was supposed to remain confidential but was eventually leaked) are just some of the practical problems listed in the claim platform. All this against a backdrop in which the Louvre continues to post record takings, but workers complain of an uneven distribution of resources.
The phenomenon of “overtourism,” which has been touching major European art cities such as Venice, Barcelona or Florence for years, also manifests itself within the walls of the Louvre. Its specificity, however, lies in the fact that the museum experience has become, for many, a compulsory step rather than a moment of conscious enjoyment. Endless queues, compulsive selfies and congested routes have distorted the very meaning of the visit. And staff, in addition to managing logistics, are often faced with disrespectful behavior, tensions and security risks.
The French government’s announcement that it will revitalize the Louvre with long-term investment has been welcomed, but also met with skepticism. Employees are demanding immediate action: more hiring, more functional spaces, compensation commensurate with the pressure of the work, and greater consideration of the human conditions behind the cultural apparatus. According to them, a “new renaissance” of the institution cannot be built unless the structural problems of those who keep it up every day are solved first.
The museum partially reopened in the early afternoon, around 2:30 p.m., but the protest left its mark. Not only for the inconvenience caused to visitors, but for the symbolic impact: when the Louvre stops, the world listens. Meanwhile, the eyes of tourists have moved elsewhere, but those of staffers have remained focused on an issue that has long demanded a hearing.
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| Louvre closed due to strike: staff protest overcrowding and unsustainable conditions |
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