PARIS (AP) — Workers at the Louvre Museum voted Monday to strike over working conditions and other complaints, dealing another blow to the Paris museum after an embarrassing jewelry heist in October.
The CFDT union said the vote was taken at a meeting of 400 workers on Monday morning and that they decided to strike for the day.
The world’s most-visited museum didn’t open as scheduled and turned would-be visitors away. A notice on the Louvre's website advised would-be visitors that “the museum is closed for the moment.”
The strike vote followed talks last week between labor unions and government officials including Culture Minister Rachida Dati. Labor leaders said the talks had not alleviated all of their concerns about staffing and financing for the Louvre.
“Visiting the museum has become an obstacle course,” said Alexis Fritche, general secretary of the culture wing of the CFDT union.
For employees, the daylight jewel heist crystallized long-standing concerns that crowding and thin staffing are undermining security and working conditions at the museum that welcomes millions of visitors each year.
Thieves used a basket lift to reach the Louvre’s facade, forced a window, smashed display cases and fled with pieces of the French crown jewels. A Senate inquiry released last week said the thieves escaped with barely 30 seconds to spare, citing broken cameras, outdated equipment, understaffed control rooms and poor coordination that initially sent police to the wrong location.
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