Eiffel Tower Staff Strike Over Gender Exclusion, Management Reverses Decision
Eiffel Tower employees went on strike Monday to protest a management decision to exclude female staff during a visit by a Hindu religious group. The iconic landmark, which attracts approximately seven million visitors annually, was closed to the public for the day. Operations resumed Tuesday after the management acknowledged its error and pledged to take necessary steps.
The decision to remove female employees from their posts reportedly stemmed from a request related to a visit by about 100 members of BAPS, a Hindu organization headquartered in Ahmedabad, India, which recently inaugurated a new Hindu temple in Paris. According to Diane Devin, a union representative at the Eiffel Tower, female workers were asked to leave their positions to be replaced by men during the visit. Devin stated that this was "absolutely not well received by the employees, and the female employees certainly felt humiliated by the way they were treated." The strike aimed to initiate a dialogue with management and prevent future occurrences.
Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo expressed her disapproval on X, stating that the Eiffel Tower's actions did not align with its values or the principle of free movement and operation for all, regardless of gender. Visitors on Monday encountered signs citing "operational reasons" for the closure.
SETE, the company operating the Eiffel Tower, admitted it had received a request from the visiting group to minimize their interaction with women. SETE chairman Ariel Weil posted on X that "no religious order's motive can justify discrimination based on gender, or any other discriminatory consideration, when we welcome the public."
The article also draws a parallel to a recent incident in Israel where the State Employees Union intervened to prevent the exclusion of female singers from a performance during an employee welfare day. The Israel Land Authority had initially sought to cancel the performance due to the women's singing, but the union's legal challenge led to a compromise where the original performance would proceed alongside an alternative activity for those who preferred it.
