2024-02-19 07:55:45
“Due to a strike notice from some of the Eiffel Tower staff, the opening of the Eiffel Tower will be disrupted on February 19, 2024,” announced the Monument Operating Company (Sete) on its official websiteinviting tourists to postpone their visit.
The entry into force this Monday of this renewable strike, voted unanimously at the general assembly last week, follows the appeal of several unions in Sete. The CGT and Force Ouvrière demand better financial management of the building by the Paris town hall, which owns 99% of the capital of Sete. This contract, signed in 2017, runs until 2030.
The Eiffel Tower had already closed its doors for the same reasons on the centenary of the death of the engineer Gustave Eiffel, on December 27. The union organization already denounced “an overly ambitious and untenable (economic) model”, due to an “undervaluation of the works budgets” of the monument, but also an “overvaluation of revenues based on annual attendance objectives of 7.4 million visitors. Or “attendance levels never before reached”.
“Visitors may suffer”
They also point out the increase in the fee collected by the municipality, which will increase from 16 million euros per year to 50 million per year, despite a context which is not suitable for this according to the unions. “The Covid had a postponement effect on certain projects,” also explains Sete, which underlines that the health crisis and the closure of the Iron Lady for a year due to the work would have resulted in a loss of 130 million euros. of recipes. “Similarly, several construction sites cannot be held at the same time for safety reasons, which requires new phasing and favoring work at night, which is more costly. Finally, there is the complexity of the work on a 135-year-old tower and vigilance must be observed, particularly with the presence of lead in the old paints,” she continues.
Indeed, one of the most visited monuments in France was repainted almost 14 years ago instead of the usual seven years. “It’s in a state of disrepair, very clearly. Under the tower, if you get closer, you really see traces of rust. There are employees who have more than 30 years of seniority, they have never seen this,” lamented on France Info Denis Vavassori, trade union delegate of the CGT.
“On a social level, the amendment to the public service delegation contract (DSP) does not provide for any modification concerning the employment policy, in accordance with our agreements successively made on the subject. It is important to emphasize that the implementation of this DSP project will not result in any redundancies,” the operating company nevertheless wanted to reassure.
A general meeting of the CGT-FO inter-union is to be held this Monday morning, starting at 9 a.m., in order to ratify the start of the strike. “Visitors will perhaps suffer, we are really sorry, but it is to guarantee optimal quality of visit for years to come,” declared on France Info Stéphane Dieu, CGT delegate of Eiffel Tower employees.
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