Tourists arriving at the Eiffel Tower on the Champ de Mars were met with disappointment on Monday morning as they encountered closed signs at the base of the iconic wrought-iron lattice tower. The closure, prompted by a strike, also affected the tower’s website, leaving visitors unable to access it for information.
Marthe, a temporary worker stationed at one of the tower’s entrances, noted that while some visitors were aware of the closure beforehand, others were taken by surprise. “Some already knew [about] it and came just to confirm,” she said. “They were disappointed but I didn’t have any particularly bad interactions.”
The strike, which is expected to last several days, is the second such labor action in two months. Union officials claim that the city’s current business model for the Eiffel Tower operator, SETE, is unsustainable, overestimating ticket sales and underestimating maintenance and repair costs.
“We are not asking to completely eliminate the fee. We know full well that we must give a usage fee to the city of Paris. We have always played the game,” an official for one of the labor unions representing workers stated.
Workers are concerned about job cuts and the city’s approach to maintenance, describing it as insufficient. They fear that the current maintenance plan puts visitors at risk and overburdens employees.
SETE claims that the tower’s maintenance budget is based on an estimate of 7.4 million visitors this year, a figure the union disputes, stating that the tower usually welcomes about 6 million visitors annually.
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The strike comes as Paris prepares to host the 2024 Summer Olympics, with pieces of the Eiffel Tower featured in the medals. Union officials are urging the city to review the maintenance budget to avoid a potential closure of the tower during the Olympic Games due to a financial shortfall.
