Louvreworkers wenton strike on Mondayafter months of mounting pressure on the worlds most visited museum, whichunionshave described as being in crisis.
The strike comes as the museum struggles with the aftermath of a daylight jewelheistand an earlier staff strike that abruptly shut the Louvre and stranded thousands of visitors beneath I.M. Peis glass pyramid. Last month, the Louvre also announced the temporary closure of some employees offices and one public gallery because of weakened floor beams.
Read moreLouvre unveils new surveillance plan in wake of crown jewels heist
During the robbery on October, thieves used a basket lift to reach the Louvres facade, forced a window, smashed display cases and fled with pieces of the French crown jewels. A Senate inquiry released last week said the thieves escaped with barely 30 seconds to spare, citing broken cameras, outdated equipment, understaffed control rooms and poor coordination that initially sent police to the wrong location.
For employees, the high-profile incident crystallized long-standing concerns that crowding and thin staffing were undermining security andworking conditionsat a museum that welcomes millions of visitors each year.
Those tensions spilled into public view in June, when striking workers brought the museum to a halt. Visitors with timed tickets waited in long, unmoving lines outside as the doors failed to open an image that rippled across social media and underscored how fragile operations at the sprawling institution had become.
Unions say talks with the government have made progress but remain incomplete.
Separately, the Culture Ministry said Sunday it has tasked Philippe Jost, who oversaw the reconstruction of Notre-Dame de Paris, with a mission to propose a deep reorganisation of the Louvre following the findings of an administrative inquiry.
Three rounds of discussions last week produced quite important progress on promises of additional full-time hires and increased state funding, Alexis Fritche, general secretary of theculturewing of the CFDT union, told The Associated Press. But the proposals must be confirmed in writing and do not yet meet all demands, he said.
Its not completely satisfying, Fritche said. Employees are quite determined", he added, while noting their strong attachment to keeping the worlds most visited museum open to the public.
In their strike notice to Dati last week, the CFDT, CGT and Sudunionssaid the Louvre was in crisis, with insufficient resources and increasingly deterioratedworking conditions".
If workers vote to strike, the action could last just one day the Louvre is closed on Tuesdays though the strike notice is open-ended.
The result of the closed meeting is expected to emerge later on Monday morning. Lawmakers are due at the museum shortly afterward, as France watches to see whether its most famous cultural institution can stay open under growing strain.
(FRANCE 24 with AP)
Originally published on France24
