Trade unions at the Louvre Museum called on Monday for a rolling strike next week to demand urgent renovations and better working conditions, piling more bad news on the beleaguered Paris institution.
The announcement came a day after the world’s most visited museum admitted to a major leak in late November and nearly two months after an embarrassing robbery in which French crown jewels were stolen from its permanent collection.
In between those two incidents, it had to close a gallery containing ancient Greek ceramics over fears for the safety of a ceiling.
Three unions – the CGT, Sud and the CFDT – called for a rolling strike starting on December 15, which was voted for at a staff meeting of around 200 employees “with unanimity”, CFDT official Valerie Baud said.
Museum staff “feel today like they are the last bastion before collapse”, the unions warned in a joint letter addressed to Culture Minister Rachida Dati.
If followed widely by the Louvre’s 2,100-strong workforce, the stoppage could lead to the closure of the institution in the run-up to the Christmas holidays when Paris is full of festive holidaymakers.