- Written by Emily Atkinson
- BBC News
image source, Getty Images
The Eiffel Tower in Paris was scheduled to reopen to tourists on Sunday after being closed for six days due to strikes.
Workers walked out for the first time on Monday in a dispute over how to manage the tower.
The operator, the Society for the Exploitation of the Eiffel Tower (SETE), announced on Saturday that it had reached an agreement with the union.
This is the second strike at the iconic landmark in the past three months as Paris looks ahead to hosting the 2024 Olympics this summer.
SETE apologized to ticket holders and said that affected bookings would be refunded as approximately 100,000 people lost admission due to this action.
The powerful Confederation of Trade Unions (CGT) has announced that its staff have decided to strike over SETE's business model, which it says inflates estimates of future visitor numbers and underestimates maintenance and renovation costs. claimed to be based on.
Speaking on behalf of the union, Stephen Dieu accused SETE of pursuing short-term profits.
Strikers have also expressed concern about the condition of the monument, with Le Monde reporting that it has not been repainted for 14 years instead of the usual seven years, and that other restoration work is behind schedule. Reported.
This week's strike was originally scheduled to last five days, but CGT announced on Friday that a staff vote rejected SETE's original proposal and decided to extend the strike until Saturday.
image source, Getty Images
The strike took place during the second week of the French school holidays
SETE announced on Saturday that it had reached an agreement with the unions under which “the two unions will regularly monitor the company's business model, construction investments and revenues through a body that meets every six months.”
It added that the two countries had agreed to invest around 380 million euros (about £325 million) by 2031 into the construction and maintenance of the landmark, with the aim of breaking even by 2025. Ta.
On Thursday, France's Culture Minister Rashida Dati proposed classifying the Eiffel Tower as a “historical monument” so that the country could help fund construction if necessary.
A civil engineer, Eiffel made his name building bridges and viaducts for the French railway system. But he is best known for the tower, which he designed as the centerpiece of the 1889 Paris Exposition, or World's Fair, to showcase France's modern industrial excellence on the world stage. .
Built in just over two years, it was the tallest building in the world at the time and quickly became the defining image of the French capital.
