In Paris, Eiffel Tower staff went on strike over the removal of female employees
In Paris, France, the Eiffel Tower was closed to visitors on Monday due to a strike by employees protesting the removal of female staff during a visit by a Hindu religious group. This was reported by Deutsche Welle.
Employees’ protest
At the entrance to the landmark, visitors saw a notice about a delayed opening for operational reasons. Employees said that during the group’s visit, professional instructions resulted in female staff being removed and replaced because of their gender.
The landmark was visited by a group of around 100 men from the Bochasanwasi Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha spiritual movement, known as BAPS. The tower’s operating company, SETE, said the group had asked to limit interaction with women during the visit.
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Operator’s response
SETE acknowledged that the decision was a mistake and said it should not have agreed to such conditions. The company’s head, Ariel Weil, told AFP that the operator would draw the necessary conclusions from the incident. According to him, religious motives cannot justify differentiating between people based on gender or other discriminatory approaches when receiving visitors.
Paris’s Socialist mayor, Emmanuel Grégoire, called the situation unacceptable. A workers’ representative said the tower was closed throughout Monday but was expected to reopen on Tuesday. About seven million people visit the Eiffel Tower each year.
