Eiffel Tower forced to shut down after employees go on strike against ‘monstrous queues’

The employees are upset over a management decision to set aside 50% of the tickets for people buying them in advance online. It was earlier only 20%.

کد خبر: ۸۲۱۸۵۶

تاریخ: ۱۱ مرداد ۱۳۹۷ - ۱۰:۰۷

Employees working at the Eiffel Tower in Paris have gone on strike, forcing the monument to be shut down since Wednesday evening.

The employees were protesting against a new access policy, which, they claim, is generating “monstrous” queues of tourists. A sign at the base of the tower said that access to the monument was blocked from 2 pm GMT (7.30 pm Indian Standard Time) on Wednesday, AFP reported.

“Due to a strike, the Eiffel Tower is closed since 4 pm [local time],” the monument’s Twitter account said.“Visitors with tickets, please check your mailbox for further information. We are truly sorry for the inconvenience.”

The Eiffel Tower management said the staff went on strike after talks with the union failed earlier on Wednesday, according to AFP. The employees are upset over a management decision in June to set aside 50% of the tickets for people buying them in advance online. Earlier, only 20% of the tickets could be booked on the internet.

The labour union said that the management has also started reserving specific elevators for different types of ticket holders. It said that the move has led to “monstrous” queues of tourists.

“Employees’ patience has run out,” union member Denis Vavassori said on Monday. He claimed that many visitors were unhappy with the long queues.

However, SETE, the company that runs the site, claimed “the waiting time is very short”. “For visitors who come without tickets, the waiting time at the checkouts at the foot of the Eiffel Tower is exactly the same as last year, while the number of visitors has increased,” it said.