As of: February 25, 2024, 6:45 a.m
By: Kathrin Reikowski
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Is the Eiffel Tower in Paris in danger of falling victim to rust?
At least that's what workers fear, who are blocking the tower - to the annoyance of some tourists.
Paris – “It has been standing for 135 years, but for how long?” read a poster in front of the Eiffel Tower in Paris on Thursday.
The Eiffel Tower has been closed since Monday and tourists can no longer access the well-known Paris landmark.
You will witness a somewhat strange strike in France, which is all too experienced with strikes.
The strikers are not concerned about their wages, perhaps only indirectly, but only about their tower.
“Milk cow Eiffel Tower,” says another poster that shows the mayor of Paris milking the tower.
The employees' accusation: Rust is eating away at the Eiffel Tower, while the city is making millions of dollars from ticket sales and saving money on maintenance.
Even advice from the builder is said to have been ignored.
Information on the operator's website:
“Due to the strike of a certain category of staff, the Eiffel Tower is currently closed.
We apologize for the inconvenience.
Visitors with e-tickets for today are asked to check their emails,” it also said on the operator’s website on Friday.
The Eiffel Tower has been closed since Monday.
Dispute over painting the Eiffel Tower - it's about builder Gustave Eiffel and 60 tons of paint
Specifically, it's currently about the Eiffel Tower's new coat of paint.
The important advice of architect Gustave Eiffel was no longer followed.
Eiffel stipulated that the tower had to be painted once every seven years, then the most popular attraction in Paris would last forever.
Instead of new splendour, there is now rust and the tower is in a worrying condition.
“The building is in very good condition,” emphasized the mayor’s first deputy, Emmanuel Grégoire, in an interview with the
France Info
channel .
The city didn't miss anything, just postponed the final coat of paint because of the corona pandemic.
And then, while removing old layers of paint, toxic lead was discovered, which delayed the work.
After all, it involves applying 60 tons of paint.
“The strike will continue until the city satisfies the workers,” said the head of the CGT union, Sophie Binet, to the protesters.
“This mobilization is in the general interest because it is about ensuring that the Eiffel Tower receives the resources for a long-term future.” The income from the Eiffel Tower easily allows for reasonable maintenance without having to save on staff in the end.
Around 360 people work on and on the tower.
As the operating company SETE announced on Thursday evening, the contract with the city, which runs until 2030, is currently being revised.
The intention is to reduce the financial payments to the city in order to take into account the loss of income during the corona pandemic and the additional costs of renovating the building.
In addition, admission prices should be increased by 20 percent.
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Strike instead of Eiffel Tower for tourists - concern before the Olympic Games
However, there is great frustration among tourists: no queues as usual, but illuminated signs that say in different languages: “The Eiffel Tower is closed due to a strike, we apologize”.
However , one of
LeParisien
's social posts also humorously states: “It doesn't matter at all.
With the weather we've had for days, you would only see fog from there anyway." Others understand: "It must be really bad because they don't even want any more money," writes another user.
Still others suspect bad things for the upcoming holiday season when it comes to strikes.
Because, yes, one thing seems certain: visitors to Paris can expect even more vacation photos of striking French people.
Five months before the start of the Olympic Games in Paris, the Eiffel Tower strike is raising concerns about wider protests that could paralyze the city and the Games.
Last weekend, a rail strike slowed down traffic in France and further disruptions have been announced for the coming weekend.
And the workers in the already overloaded metro in Paris have already announced the possibility of a strike for the entire period of the Olympic Games.
In addition, coaches will have to stay away from the city of Paris in the future.
(dpa/kat)