The Eiffel Tower is closed for a second day due to a staff strike 2024-02-23 07:26:27

The mayor’s office of the French capital, the main shareholder of the Sete company that manages the Tower, “refuses to negotiate for now”, a representative of the CGT union told AFP yesterday.

Yesterday’s strike at the Eiffel Tower was the second to take place in two months for the same reason. Unions have criticized SETE for its business model, which they say is based on overestimating the number of future visitors while underestimating operating costs.

The Eiffel Tower, Paris’ most famous landmark, attracts nearly seven million visitors a year, regarding three-quarters of whom are foreign tourists, according to its website.

During the Covid pandemic visitor numbers fell dramatically due to venue closures and travel restrictions, but have recovered to generate revenue of 5.9 million in 2022.

Visitor numbers to Paris are expected to increase dramatically this summer as the French capital hosts the Olympics.

In a joint statement, the CGT and FO unions appealed to the city of Paris “to be reasonable with its financial demands to ensure the survival of the monument and the company that manages it”.

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