Louvre Museum workers confirm strike action after $102M heist
Why Louvre Museum workers have voted to strike after $102M heist
- Workers at the Louvre Museum have overwhelmingly voted to strike, citing deteriorating working conditions, a controversial ticket price increase for non-European visitors, and significant security vulnerabilities.
- The decision for industrial action was made on Monday and is set to commence next Monday, with unions describing the museum as being in 'crisis' due to insufficient resources.
- Unions highlighted a brazen daylight theft of France’s Crown Jewels on 19 October 2025, where an estimated €88 million worth of items were stolen, as a stark illustration of security failings.
- The thieves took less than eight minutes to force entry and escape, making off with items including a diamond-and-emerald necklace given by Napoleon to Empress Marie-Louise.
- The strike follows a recent incident where an estimated 400 books in the Egyptian antiquities department were damaged due to a water leak, despite prior requests for funding to address poor pipe conditions.