Eiffel Tower resumes work after staff strike due to gender discrimination

The Eiffel Tower in Paris resumed work after a protest caused by the policy of the management company of the Eiffel Tower (SETE), which agreed to suspend female employees from work during the visit of a Hindu religious delegation, the Associated Press agency reports, citing a representative of one of the largest trade unions in France, the General Confederation of Labor (CGT).

According to the newspaper Parisien, on September 5, during a visit by monks from the BAPS movement, female employees of the Eiffel Tower were asked to leave their jobs, replaced by men, or not to enter certain areas. On Monday, this prompted a staff strike and the temporary closure of the attraction.

The Eiffel Tower reopened on Tuesday, a day after one of the world's most visited landmarks was closed due to a strike to protest what a union official called "unacceptable" management guidelines limiting the presence of women during a visit by a Hindu delegation on Saturday.

According to CGT spokeswoman Diana Davoine, management at the Eiffel Tower has ordered that female employees not "come into contact" with BAPS representatives. Davoine noted that the Eiffel Tower is often visited by special delegations, including US President Donald Trump or Britney Spears, and staff are always ready to adapt to the requests of delegations, but the request received from the management company on September 5 was “unacceptable,” the agency said.

In turn, BAPS said that it coordinated the visit with the management of the Eiffel Tower and did not make demands regarding the gender of staff during the visit of its delegation.

Earlier, the mayor of Paris, Emmanuel Gregoire, announced the launch of an investigation into SETE due to the situation with the suspension of female employees from work due to the visit of a religious delegation.