The workers of the Louvre Museum decided this Friday in a general assembly not to continue with the strike that began last Monday and that forced the closure of the most visited museum in the world. The art gallery opened normally this Friday, after being completely closed on Monday. It reopened on Wednesday although with some rooms closed, due to lack of staff.
The workers, around 300 gathered, have agreed unanimously and “out of responsibility” to end the strike for the moment, but they have met on January 5 to decide whether to restart it after the holidays. The CFDT union denounces in a statement the “insufficient progress” in the negotiations they have held these days with the Ministry of Culture.
They also criticize the lack of responses from the museum management to their demands: the degradation in working conditions, the deterioration of the building and the lack of security, which became evident after the spectacular theft of the eight Crown jewels on October 19.
Since Monday, the workers have met five times with representatives of the Ministry led by Rachida Dati, although “the progress made is insufficient, especially with regard to employment and remuneration,” the CFDT has noted. They regret that the president of the Louvre, Laurence des Cars, has not met or addressed them since they began the mobilization.
“We have voted not to continue with the strike to give a break to the negotiations” with Culture, said Valérie Baud, delegate of the aforementioned union. The Ministry has committed to canceling a reduction of 5.7 million euros in the public endowment to the museum. The talks will resume after the Christmas break.
“Our objective is not to prevent access to tourists during the holidays, but to improve working conditions and also visiting conditions,” said CGT union representative Nathalie Ramos. The workers also criticize the increase in the entrance price for tourists from outside Europe, which will go from 22 to 32 euros in January.
The employees’ demands seem more than justified after the chain of controversies that plague the museum. Shortly after the unusual theft of Napoleon’s jewels, the art gallery had to close one of its galleries due to the danger of collapse. Several audits that have been published since then reveal problems in the building, the low investment in its maintenance and security problems.
In the spotlight is the current president, who was appointed in 2021, but also her predecessor, Jean Luc Martínez, who took over in 2013 until Laurence des Cars took over. Both have appeared this week in a Senate committee to give explanations, specifically about a 2019 report that already revealed the vulnerability of the Apolo gallery. It is the one that the four thieves robbed on October 19. They climbed a moving ladder to the balcony that gives access, entered and broke the display cases where the jewelry was, with radials, which still have not been found.