Strike by Louvre staff, shuts down the world’s most visited museum

The Louvre in Paris closed on Monday, December 15, after employees launched a strike demanding better working conditions and urgent renovations.

The closure disrupted access to the world’s most visited museum during one of the busiest times of the year.

The strike comes as the museum is still reeling from the €88 million jewelry theft in October and recent infrastructure problems, including water leaks that damaged ancient books.

The Louvre normally welcomes around 30,000 visitors per day. As the museum is usually closed on Tuesdays, it will not reopen until Wednesday, when workers are expected to decide whether to continue the strike.

Following union warnings of a possible strike last week, the museum remained closed at its usual 9 a.m. opening time on Monday, shortly before a vote officially confirmed the strike.

Around 400 of the museum’s 2,200 employees supported the labor action.

The strike was called by the CFDT, CGT, and Sud unions, citing what they described as increasingly deteriorating working conditions and staff shortages.

The unions said employees are struggling with a growing workload and contradictory instructions that prevent them from carrying out their duties properly.

Union demands include hiring more staff—particularly in security and visitor services—and improving working conditions. They also oppose a 45 percent ticket price increase scheduled for mid-January for non-EU tourists.

The price hike is intended to help finance renovations. Élise Muller, national secretary of the Sud Culture union, told Reuters: “We know very well that visiting the Louvre is sometimes a once-in-a-lifetime experience, so we really don’t want to penalize visitors.”

Last October, the Louvre was abruptly closed after thieves broke in. The suspects entered the Apollo Gallery, which houses France’s royal jewels, and stole Napoleon-era jewelry in a daring daylight robbery.

Four masked thieves stopped along the road beside the Seine River outside the Louvre. About half an hour after visitors entered the museum’s forecourt, the suspects accessed the southern side of the building using a truck equipped with a hydraulic lift and an extendable ladder, allowing them to reach a second-floor balcony window.