The Eiffel Tower workers’ strike that began last Monday will come to an end after having reached an agreement with the monument’s concessionaire, as reported by the union organizations. Thus, the popular tourist attraction in the French capital will once again open its doors to the public starting this Sunday.
According to information published in the local media, workers and companies have agreed on measures to regularly monitor the economic model of exploitation of the monument, in addition to investments, with the intention of improving the conditions of the tower.
After six days of closure, technical teams will need until Sunday the 25th to ensure that the monument’s tourist services and elevators are working properly before visitors can access the tower again. The unions called the strike as a way to denounce the current situation of the tower and have agreed with the Eiffel Tower Exploitation Company (SETE) about 380 million euros in investments until 2031.
Criticism of the maintenance budget
The search for a “viable and realistic economic model” was the reason given by the two monument staff unions, the General Confederation of Labor (CGT) and the Fuerza Obrera (FO), when more than a week ago they presented the preliminary strike. Their complaints included what they considered to be an insufficient budget for the management and maintenance of the tower, as well as an exaggerated estimate of expected revenue, based on a hypothesis of 7.4 million visits per year, which was not supported. Has ever achieved.
The covid-19 crisis, according to the power plants, had generated a greater imbalance between income and expenses, caused by losses of 120 million euros in 2020 and 2021 due to the lack of tourists. The unions had also criticized the Paris City Council, a 99% shareholder in SETE, for not wanting to sit down to negotiate.
The concessionaire, which employs around 360 people, was facing unemployment just at a time when it was renegotiating the financial parameters with the council, from which it has received 60 million euros to reinforce its capital, and it is also expected a 20% increase in ticket prices.
