Louvre unions announce rolling strike over overcrowding

It remains uncertain whether the industrial action will force the complete closure of the world’s most-visited museum, which is still under scrutiny nearly two months after a high-profile daytime theft of crown jewels valued at $102 million.

Partial openings likely during industrial action

Christian Galani of the hard-left CGT trade union said that full operations could not be guaranteed. He warned that if the museum does open, access would be extremely limited.

“If the museum opens, it will be a partial opening with a very restricted route, simply to say that it is open,” Galani said.

Broad support across the workforce

According to Galani, the strike is expected to draw unusually wide participation from across the Louvre’s 2,200 employees, coinciding with Paris’s busy Christmas tourism period.

“Normally, strikes involve front-of-house and security staff,” he explained. “This time, scientists, documentarians, collections managers, curators, and workshop staff are also planning to walk out.”

Mounting staff grievances inside the institution

The action reflects growing dissatisfaction within the museum, which has come under intense public attention following the October 19 robbery.

Reception and security personnel say chronic understaffing has left them struggling to manage massive visitor numbers. The Louvre, home to Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa, welcomes millions more visitors each year than its infrastructure was designed to accommodate.

A spontaneous strike on June 16 earlier this year temporarily forced the museum to close.

Over-tourism and deteriorating visitor conditions

Unions describe the Louvre as a symbol of “over-tourism,” with up to 30,000 daily visitors navigating what they call an “obstacle course” of long queues, safety hazards, and inadequate toilets and catering facilities.

Curators and documentarians have also raised alarms about the deteriorating condition of the historic palace, citing water leaks and the closure of galleries due to structural issues.

Admission of structural problems

“The building is not in a good state,” admitted chief Louvre architect François Chatillon during a parliamentary hearing last month.

Louvre director Laurence des Cars, who is facing repeated calls to resign, had previously warned the government in a widely publicised January memo about leaks, overheating, and a declining visitor experience.

Security failures under renewed scrutiny

Concerns over museum security have intensified since the brazen daylight heist, raising questions about whether it could have been prevented and why such a national treasure appeared inadequately protected.

Two intruders accessed the crown jewels gallery using an extendable ladder, cut through a glass door with angle grinders in front of shocked visitors, and escaped with eight priceless items.

Alarming findings from security investigations

Subsequent investigations revealed that only one exterior security camera was operational at the time of the theft, control-room staff lacked sufficient screens to monitor footage effectively, and police were initially sent to the wrong location.

Several studies conducted over the past decade — including a 2019 audit by experts from Van Cleef & Arpels — had already identified major vulnerabilities, particularly the riverside balcony targeted in the heist, which was deemed easily accessible using an extendable ladder.