Eiffel Tower reopens to visitors as deal with unions reached after six-day strike

Striking employees were demanding better maintenance of the historic landmark and salary hikes

The 135-year-old tower – which is typically open 365 days a year – was closed to visitors for six days (Copyright 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)

The Eiffel Tower reopened to visitors on Sunday after a deal was reached with unions following a six-day strike.

Striking employees walked out on Monday, demanding better maintenance of the historic Parisian landmark, which has been showing traces of rust, as well as salary hikes.

The operator of the 330-meter (1,083-foot) tower, Société d'Exploitation de la Tour Eiffel (SETE), said in a statement that it reached an agreement with unions representing the workers on Saturday after promising to allocate an “ambitious €380 million (about £325 million) investment by 2031” for renovation work.

This week, it also launched salary negotiations, expected to be finalised next month, after staff on strike demanded an increase proportionate to revenue from ticket sales.

Union leaders have repeatedly criticised the tower operator’s business model, saying it is based on an inflated estimate of future visitor numbers, at the expense of maintenance costs and employees’ pay.

Unions claimed Paris City Hall, which owns 99 per cent of SETE, was underestimating the cost of maintenance and repairs to the monument planned ahead of the Olympics in the French capital in summer – which in turn could result in lax maintenance work and put visitors at risk.

The powerful Confédération Générale du Travail (CGT) union said striking employees were “denouncing the consequences of financial mismanagement”. Speaking on behalf of the CGT, Stéphane Dieu accused the SETE of “looking for short-term profitability”.

It comes after the 135-year-old tower – which is typically open 365 days a year – was closed to visitors for 10 days last year during massive protests across France against the government’s plan to reform the country’s pension system.

The monument is set to feature prominently in the 2024 Olympic Games hosted by Paris between 26 July and 11 August, and the following Paralympics. The medals are even being embedded with pieces from a hexagonal chunk of iron taken from the historic landmark.