Paris Museums Closed Due to Worker Strike
Posted December 4, 2009 by Aeon Tours
Many of Paris’ most famous museums have been closed for the past week due to worker strikes. The strikes have been attributed to the French government’s threats to not replace any of the workers entering retirement.
Employees striking have alleged that this would be disastrous to the operational ability of the museums, as a significant portion of their employees are entering retirement, or near retirement age.
The strike began at the modern art heart of Paris, the Centre Pompidou, where an official said that almost 40% of their staff is over the age of 50.
Even more damaging to the Pompidou is the fact that it receives the majority of its funding from the government, and only generates 10-15 percent of its revenue from entry fee tickets.
Fortunately, although workers at the legendary Louvre Museum also voted to strike, by noon of the first day of the strike, the museum was back open to visitors. Be warned, some of the rooms in the expansive museum remain closed due to the lack of workers.
Of course, there are countless other tours that visitors to Paris can do to keep themselves occupied. Our Private Tours of the city cater to your exact needs – we can easily design a tour for you that will you to visit the museums that are still open (without waiting in a long entrance line). Simply contact us to learn more.
