The Eiffel Tower, one of the world’s famous tourist destinations, was kept closed on Wednesday.
This happened because all the workers of the Eiffel Tower went on strike.
The Eiffel Tower was closed after workers managing one of the world’s leading tourist attractions went on strike, according to a report by news agency Agence France-Presse. The reason behind this strike has also come to light.
The General Confederation of Labor (CGT) union said the workers had called for a one-day strike to mark the 100th anniversary of the death of Gustave Eiffel, the engineer who built the tower.
Employees raised questions about the current approach to maintaining the tower. It says the tower’s operator, the Société d’Exploitation de la Tour Eiffel (SETE), is being treated unfairly.
The CGT accused SETE of managing the Eiffel Tower according to a business model that is “too ambitious and unsustainable”. Additionally, the union said management was underestimating construction costs while overestimating the number of future tourist arrivals.
Union apologized to tourists
SETE apologized to visitors and advised anyone with an electronic ticket to “check your email” for more information about their booking.
According to its website, the number of tourists visiting the Eiffel Tower each year is approximately 7 million and about three-quarters of them are foreigners.
During the Covid pandemic, there was a sharp decline in visitor numbers due to closures and travel restrictions. But in 2022 it will increase to 5.9 million.