Approximately 350 Louvre Museum employees voted unanimously on Monday morning to resume their strike, forcing the world's most visited museum to operate at reduced capacity after a brief holiday suspension. The labor action, which began on December 15 but was temporarily halted on December 19, restarted with renewed determination as workers rejected what they considered insufficient progress in negotiations with France's Ministry of Culture. Union representatives from CFDT and CGT confirmed that staff across all departments, including security, curation, and support services, supported the renewed strike. Museum officials posted notices warning visitors that certain galleries would remain closed due to the social movement, though a limited itinerary remained accessible.
The striking workers are demanding immediate improvements to what they describe as deteriorating working conditions and dangerous understaffing levels, particularly for room surveillance. A major point of contention is the upcoming January 14 price increase for non-European tourists, which staff argue will create additional pressures without addressing fundamental operational issues. Employees also point to the museum's aging infrastructure, citing the spectacular theft of eight French Crown jewels on October 19 as evidence of security failures. A subsequent report forced the closure of at least one gallery after engineers warned about structural fragility, further fueling worker concerns about safety and preservation standards.
The October jewelry heist, in which thieves made off with priceless artifacts during visiting hours, exposed critical vulnerabilities in the museum's security apparatus. Union leaders argue that chronic understaffing meant surveillance personnel were stretched too thin to respond effectively to the robbery. The incident prompted an internal review that revealed broader problems with the building's physical condition, including water damage, outdated electrical systems, and insufficient climate controls. These revelations have become central to the labor dispute, with workers insisting that management cannot ensure both visitor safety and artwork preservation without significant new investment in personnel and facilities.
In response to the mounting pressure, the Ministry of Culture has pledged to cancel a planned €5.7 million reduction in the Louvre's public funding and promised new recruitment drives with improved compensation packages. However, union leaders dismissed these offers as inadequate, noting that the proposed staffing increases would barely return personnel levels to those of a decade ago. They argue that visitor numbers have grown exponentially while the workforce has stagnated, creating an unsustainable situation. The Ministry's proposals also failed to address workers' demands for better training, equipment upgrades, and a voice in policy decisions affecting museum operations.
For now, visitors can only access the Louvre's "masterpieces trail," which includes the Mona Lisa, Venus de Milo, and Winged Victory of Samothrace, while dozens of galleries remain shuttered. The strike's timing during the peak winter tourist season threatens to damage France's cultural tourism revenue, but workers remain resolute. CGT-Louvre posted on Instagram promising continued mobilization "until victory," while CFDT representatives emphasized that the unanimous vote reflects deep-seated frustration rather than temporary discontent. Negotiations are expected to resume later this week, though both sides appear far from compromise as the museum faces one of its most significant labor crises in recent memory.
