The Tamesis
The Louvre museum closed to visitors on Monday, January 12, after staff launched another strike over wages, staffing levels and working conditions. Le Monde. The closure marks the latest in a series of disruptions at the world’s most visited museum.
In a notice posted on its website, the museum said tickets will be automatically refunded if it is unable to open due to the strike. The plant has been closed since mid-December following a series of shutdowns and delayed openings that have disrupted operations multiple times.
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Museum staff have staged multiple strike actions in recent weeks, including a three-day strike before Christmas and several partial closures and delayed openings in early January. The Louvre reopened on January 5 after a three-hour delay, with some galleries remaining closed as workers resumed strike action after a brief holiday pause.
The union representing Louvre employees says staff are overworked and the museum is understaffed and poorly maintained; workers are calling for increased hiring, higher wages and more investment in infrastructure. The agency has come under heightened scrutiny after thieves stole more than $100 million worth of Crown Jewels in a daylight robbery in October, most of which has yet to be recovered.
Labor tensions have also been heightened by the museum’s long-term redevelopment plans, which include a proposed stand-alone gallery for Leonardo da Vinci Mona Lisa. Earlier this month, staff went on strike again over the project, which the union said was unrealistic given the museum’s existing staffing and maintenance issues.
Further disruption remains possible as negotiations between unions and management are ongoing. A spokesman for the Louvre said the museum will reopen at 9am on Wednesday, January 14.
