Eiffel Tower staff strike over sidelining of women during Hindu group visit
Staff at the Eiffel Tower went on strike after female employees were reportedly excluded from work during a visit by a Hindu delegation. Management admitted the conditions should never have been accepted.
Employees at the Eiffel Tower launched a strike on Monday after learning that female staff members had been sidelined from their duties during a visit by a Hindu delegation days earlier, saying they were "shocked" by the situation.
The CGT trade union issued a statement condemning workplace instructions that resulted in female employees being sidelined, replaced by other staff, and effectively rendered invisible because of their gender.
Visit coincided with temple opening
The delegation's visit to the Paris landmark took place on Saturday and coincided with the inauguration of a temple built near the French capital by the Hindu denomination Bochsanwasi Akshar Purshottam Swaminarayan Sanstha (BAPS).
The operator of the Eiffel Tower explained that the group had requested the visit be arranged in a way that limited interactions with women. The operator acknowledged that such conditions should never have been agreed to.
Paris mayor voices support
Paris Mayor Emmanuel Grégoire expressed support for the striking staff on social media platform X, calling the exclusion of female workers unacceptable and contrary to the values the Eiffel Tower represents.
The strike has drawn significant attention in France, raising questions about gender equality in the workplace at one of the world's most visited tourist attractions.
