The famous Eiffel Tower, one of Paris's most recognizable symbols, was temporarily closed this week after staff announced a strike. The protest was triggered by the treatment of female employees during a private visit by a delegation from the Hindu community.
The tower resumed operations on Tuesday, September 8th, following the strike which led to a one-day closure of the attraction. The conflict arose after about 100 people from BAPS, a Hindu organization belonging to the Swaminarayan tradition, visited on Saturday.
The delegation was in Paris for the opening of a major Hindu temple in Bussy-Saint-Georges, east of the city. According to the union CGT, during the visit, female employees were moved from certain areas of the tower and, in some cases, replaced by male colleagues. The union stated that such arrangements hindered women from performing their usual duties and deemed the situation discriminatory.
The company operating the tower, Société d’Exploitation de la Tour Eiffel (SETE), admitted that measures had been taken to limit interaction between the visiting delegation and female employees. However, SETE later stated that agreeing to these conditions was a mistake, as such arrangements contradict the principle of gender equality and neutrality expected at the Eiffel Tower.
This admission intensified employee concerns, especially since the decision concerned not just hosting a private group, but altering the working conditions of some employees based on their gender. Parisian authorities also took note of the incident and launched an investigation, emphasizing the need to uphold gender equality throughout the city, including its monuments.
Nevertheless, BAPS denied the suggestion that they specifically requested the exclusion of female employees. The organization reported that its visit was coordinated with the management of the Eiffel Tower to minimize disruptions, but this was never intended as a gender-based request. BAPS also apologized to everyone affected or inconvenienced, stating its commitment to equality and mutual respect.
Thus, the key distinction in this story lies not only in what the visiting delegation allegedly desired, but also in the Eiffel Tower management's decision to accept terms that resulted in female employees being moved away from parts of the attraction. For the involved workers, this was enough to halt operations.
This is not the first instance where Eiffel Tower workers have used industrial action to voice their concerns. The tower has also closed for several days in 2024 due to strikes related to maintenance issues and wages. However, this time the dispute raised a different question: what happens when the expectations of a private visitor group clash with the principles of equality in a public tourist site?
