ADVERTISEMENTThe Eiffel Tower is closed for a fourth day running on Thursday (22 February) as workers strike in France’s capital city.
The iconic landmark, which is expected to be at the heart of celebrations for the Paris Olympics, is off-limits to visitors.
One of the strikers' representatives, Denis Vavassori of the CGT union, has previously warned that their protest action "could go on for several days, even weeks.”
Here’s what to know if you are visiting the Eiffel Tower this week.
Eiffel Tower closure: What to do if you’ve booked to visit
The Eiffel Tower is typically open 365 days a year. However, striking employees have caused the Parisian monument to shut for four days so far this week.
If you have booked to visit the landmark, you should check its website for information on opening times.
Currently, there is a warning that the Eiffel Tower is closed today, 22 February.
It advises visitors with e-tickets (which can be bought up to two months in advance) to check their email for further information.
Paris strikes: Why is the Eiffel Tower closed?
Striking employees are demanding a salary increase proportionate to revenue from ticket sales. They also want improved maintenance of the 135-year-old tower, which is showing traces of rust on some of its ironwork.
The tower earns millions of euros annually for the city of Paris, its owner. Paris deputy mayor, Emmanuel Grégoire, said on Wednesday that extended closures during the COVID-19 pandemic deprived the landmark of €130 million in revenue.
But he insisted that tower maintenance has not suffered as a consequence.
“The monument is in very good shape,” he told broadcaster France Info, adding that he expects the tower operating company to resolve the issue with the strikers.
The tower will feature prominently in this summer’s Paris Games and the following Paralympics.
The Olympic and Paralympic medals in Paris are being embedded with pieces from a hexagonal chunk of iron taken from the historic landmark.
Stephane Dieu of the CGT union that represents a large number of the Eiffel Tower's employees said the strikers want to present their demands to the city's officials and reach an agreement with the Tower's owner “so that everything runs smoothly this summer.”
Union leaders have repeatedly criticized the tower operator’s business model, saying it’s based on an inflated estimate of future visitor numbers, at the expense of maintenance costs and employees’ pay.
Last year, the monument was closed to visitors for 10 days during massive protests across France against the government's plan to reform the country's pension system.