The famous Eiffel Tower in the French capital, Paris, was temporarily closed on Monday due to staff protests. The protest arose concerning a visit by a religious delegation from Hinduism.
It is alleged that during the visit, female employees were asked to leave their posts, and men were placed in their positions. This situation caused dissatisfaction among the personnel.
The incident occurred on Saturday when an Indian religious delegation of about 100 people associated with BAPS arrived at the Eiffel Tower. The delegation was in France to participate in events related to the opening of an Hindu temple near Paris.
Union representatives reported that during the delegation's passage, female employees were instructed to vacate their workstations, which were then occupied by men. The union questioned such actions.
Union representative Dinesh Davoin stated that discontent among workers was growing and emphasized that such treatment of women should not happen again. On Monday morning, employees held a meeting to discuss this issue with management and demand guarantees that no woman would be sidelined based on gender in the future.
Due to the staff meeting, the opening of the Eiffel Tower was delayed, and a notice regarding the late opening for operational reasons was posted on the monument. According to the union, management apologized to the employees for the incident, but the workers insist on a full investigation.
The company SETE, which manages the Eiffel Tower, also reacted to the event. The company acknowledged that the delegation had requested minimizing contact with female employees and noted that such conditions should not be accepted.
The Mayor of Paris, Emmanuel Grégoire, ordered an investigation into the matter, stating the need to quickly ascertain all circumstances of the incident due to the anger among the staff.
The CGT union also condemned what happened, accusing them of sidelining female employees based on gender and replacing them with men. The President of the French National Assembly, Yael Bronner-Piv, also expressed dissatisfaction, stating that women cannot be sidelined to satisfy the requests of foreign guests. She added that welcoming other people does not mean abandoning French values, and reminded that women fully participate in public life in France, and no one should be asked to become invisible.
This dispute arose while the opening of a large BAPS Hindu temple near Paris was taking place. During the ceremony held on Sunday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi participated virtually. PM Modi spoke about the cultural ties between India and France, noting that the temple would contribute to the spread of ancient Indian ideas and humanistic values in France.
