Paris: Arc de Triomphe monument closes after staff walkout
Tourists planning to visit the Arc de Triomphe on Tuesday may need to reschedule, after staff announced plans to walkout in protest of working conditions.
The Paris monument, which welcomed over 1.7 million people in 2022, was expected to remain closed on Tuesday, October 17th due to a strike by workers.
Over the weekend, other tourist sites in the capital region - such as the Louvre Museum and the Versailles Palace - closed due to security threats, following the Islamist-inspired killing of a French school teacher in northern France.
READ MORE: France on high alert after teacher's killing
According to BFMTV, employees are protesting a lack of resources to help them cope with the rising number of visitors.
French media have reported that visitor numbers could be even higher this year thanks to the Rugby World Cup, and they are bound to increase in 2024 as a result of the Olympic and Paralympic Games.
Specifically, staff have expressed frustration over a failure to replace those who leave at the conclusion of short, fixed-term contracts, as well as obsolete signage at the monument that has become more of an issue in recent months.
They would also like to see a better welcoming system put in place for tourists, according to a memo released by the union CGT.
Employees of the Arc were set to meet at 10am to discuss whether to continue walk-outs, but as of Tuesday morning no agreement had yet been reached and the closure was still set to go ahead.
French media did not report any other strike-related closures of tourist sites in Paris on Tuesday.
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The Paris monument, which welcomed over 1.7 million people in 2022, was expected to remain closed on Tuesday, October 17th due to a strike by workers.
Over the weekend, other tourist sites in the capital region - such as the Louvre Museum and the Versailles Palace - closed due to security threats, following the Islamist-inspired killing of a French school teacher in northern France.
READ MORE: France on high alert after teacher's killing
According to BFMTV, employees are protesting a lack of resources to help them cope with the rising number of visitors.
French media have reported that visitor numbers could be even higher this year thanks to the Rugby World Cup, and they are bound to increase in 2024 as a result of the Olympic and Paralympic Games.
Specifically, staff have expressed frustration over a failure to replace those who leave at the conclusion of short, fixed-term contracts, as well as obsolete signage at the monument that has become more of an issue in recent months.
They would also like to see a better welcoming system put in place for tourists, according to a memo released by the union CGT.
Employees of the Arc were set to meet at 10am to discuss whether to continue walk-outs, but as of Tuesday morning no agreement had yet been reached and the closure was still set to go ahead.
French media did not report any other strike-related closures of tourist sites in Paris on Tuesday.
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