France’s Louvre Museum was closed on Monday after employees began a rolling strike over pay, staffing shortages, and deteriorating working conditions, disrupting access to the world’s most-visited museum during a peak tourist period. The walkout comes just two months after a high-profile jewel heist and follows recent infrastructure issues, including a water leak that damaged ancient books. The Louvre, which usually welcomes around 30,000 visitors a day, will remain shut until at least Wednesday due to its regular Tuesday closure.

The strike was called by several unions, including CFDT, CGT, and Sud, which say staff are facing rising workloads, insufficient permanent employees, and unclear instructions that make it difficult to perform their duties. About 400 of the museum’s 2,200 workers supported the action. Unions are demanding urgent renovations, better working conditions, and more permanent hires, especially in security and visitor services, while also opposing a planned 45% ticket price hike for non-EU tourists intended to help fund refurbishment work.

Tourists arriving early on Monday were left disappointed after discovering the museum was closed. While many expressed frustration, some visitors voiced understanding of the workers’ concerns. Union representatives said the aim was not to penalise visitors but to ensure the Louvre remains safe and properly maintained, warning that long-standing neglect by management has pushed staff to take action.

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