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Eiffel Tower closed for fourth consecutive day as staff extend strike

Union leaders have repeatedly criticised the tower operator's business model, saying it's based on an inflated estimate of future visitor numbers, at the expense of maintenance costs and employees' pay.

AFP

The operator has advised ticket holders to check its website before showing up, or to postpone their visit. / Photo: AFP

France's iconic Eiffel Tower has been closed for a fourth day as employees extended a strike over the monument's management.

Union representatives were to meet the tower's operator (SETE) management in the afternoon, they said on Thursday.

The stoppage at one of the world's best-known tourist sites is the second within two months in protest of what unions say is insufficient investment.

SETE has advised ticket holders to check its website before showing up, or to postpone their visit. E-ticket holders were asked to check their e-mails for further information.

Ticket holders will be reimbursed, the operator said.

Stephane Dieu of the CGT union that represents a large number of the Eiffel Tower's employees said the strikers want to present their demands to the city's officials and reach an agreement with the Tower's owner "so that everything runs smoothly this summer."

"The last thing we want is to find ourselves in a stalemate that would, unfortunately, lead to us being closed for part of the Olympic Games," Dieu said in an interview on Wednesday.

Business model under fire

Union leaders have repeatedly criticized the tower operator’s business model, saying it’s based on an inflated estimate of future visitor numbers, at the expense of maintenance costs and employees’ pay.

Unions have also called on the city of Paris "to be reasonable with their financial demands to ensure the survival of the monument and the company operating it".

Their main grievance is that city hall is charging the Eiffel Tower's operator a leasing fee they say is too high, sapping funds for necessary maintenance work.

The Eiffel Tower booked a shortfall of around $130 million (120 million euros) during the Covid pandemic in 2020 and 2021.

Its operator has since received a recapitalisation of $65 million (60 million euros), which unions say is insufficient given that major maintenance work is needed, including a fresh paint job.

Visitor numbers at the Eiffel Tower dropped sharply during Covid-19 due to closures and travel restrictions but recovered to 5.9 million in 2022 and 6.3 million last year.