Staff Strike Shuts Eiffel Tower After Female Workers Were Sidelined
The Eiffel Tower closed completely on Monday after staff launched a strike to protest instructions that forced female employees out of public view during a visit by a religious delegation. The sudden day-long closure halted access for thousands of international tourists and sightseers visiting the Paris landmark, which draws nearly seven million visitors annually.
Management Admits Accepting Delegation Restrictions Violated Equality Principles
Workers at the monument halted operations after female staff members and contractor employees were instructed to clear specific areas, withdraw from their posts, or be replaced by male colleagues to accommodate requests from a visiting delegation of the Bochasanwasi Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha movement. Staff representatives condemned the directives in an official statement, citing orders that made female workers invisible based on their sex during the delegation’s visit, which coincided with a cultural boat procession on the Seine. Operating company SETE confirmed the landmark remained shut throughout Monday, though staff representatives confirmed normal operations would resume on Tuesday.
SETE acknowledged that the delegation requested limited interactions with female personnel and admitted that management should never have accepted those terms. SETE president Ariel Weil called the practice unacceptable, reaffirming the operating authority’s commitment to gender equality and republican values while announcing an internal investigation to determine responsibility. The French capital’s socialist official Emmanuel Grégoire also publicly criticized the decision on social media platform X, calling management’s agreement to the terms unacceptable.
The dispute followed the consecration of the movement’s first major traditional temple in France near Paris on Sunday.
