Louvre Workers Vote for Strike Over Conditions and Security

Workers at the Louvre Museum in Paris voted unanimously on Monday to launch a strike starting December 15, protesting deteriorating working conditions, security lapses exposed by an October theft, and a recent ticket price increase for non-European visitors. The action, announced by the CGT, CFDT, and SUD unions, could disrupt operations at the world's most visited museum during the busy holiday season, potentially leading to closures amid ongoing infrastructure crises.

The strike decision follows a series of setbacks at the Louvre, including a water leak discovered on November 26 that damaged between 300 and 400 items in the museum's Egyptian antiquities department library. Museum deputy administrator Francis Steinbock said the affected works consisted of Egyptology journals and scientific documentation from the late 19th and early 20th centuries, materials frequently used by researchers. "No heritage artifacts have been affected by this damage," Steinbock told reporters. "At this stage, we have no irreparable and definitive losses in these collections."

The leak stemmed from the accidental opening of a valve in the museum's obsolete heating and ventilation system, which caused...