Workers' strike in the Louvre, citing "unprecedented deterioration" among crowds: NPR

The Louvre closed on Monday as security and reception staff went on strike to explain the deterioration of their working conditions, with the museum attracting a record crowd. Here, visitors line up in front of the Louvre in July 2015.

Miguel Medina / AFP / Getty Images

hide legend

activate the legend

Miguel Medina / AFP / Getty Images

The Louvre closed on Monday as security and reception staff went on strike to explain the deterioration of their working conditions, with the museum attracting a record crowd. Here, visitors line up in front of the Louvre in July 2015.

Miguel Medina / AFP / Getty Images

The Louvre was closed Monday, leaving hordes of tourists out among its famous glass pyramids. The reason? The security and reception staff of the Paris museum was on strike to protest "the unprecedented deterioration of living conditions" in the midst of a record crowd.

The museum, located in a former royal palace on the right bank of the city, attracted a record 10.2 million visitors last year – an increase of 25% over the previous year . "No other museum in the world has ever equaled that number," the museum said in January.

But workers say that visitors and staff suffer from such popularity.

"The Louvre is stifling," said Sunday Union South Solidarity Culture. "While the public has grown by more than 20% since 2009, the palace has not grown … Today, the situation is untenable."

Among the crowds increasing from 2009 to 2018, the workforce declined during this period, from 2,161 to 2,005 people, according to the union.

US visitors to the museum posted Monday photos of waiting queues outside. "It's awesome," tweeted a Californian. "Happy to have arrived at the Louvre early."

The museum offers refunds to those who bought tickets for the day.

The union cites several problems that it believes are due to overcrowding in the museum: an aggressive and impatient public, assaulting crowds and inadequate emergency evacuation measures.

"What about visiting conditions when people are faced with noise, trampling, crowding, extreme fatigue and the total inadequacy of museum facilities for such a high number of visitors?" the union said in the statement. "The Louvre can not afford its ambitions."

The Louvre is closed today, as it is usually on Tuesdays. An opinion on its website said the museum would open Wednesday after "a general meeting attended by members of the reception and security staff of the Louvre". He warned that a large number of visitors would be expected in the coming days and recommended the purchase of tickets online.

Pierre Zinenberg, an employee of the Louvre and union representative, told the Associated Press that the outcome of Wednesday's meeting would determine whether the museum would reopen or whether the strike would continue.