Staff at the Louvre Museum in Paris voted unanimously to strike, with rolling walkouts set to begin on December 15. The unions, representing around 200 employees, filed a strike notice with the French culture ministry, citing insufficient staff, technical failures, and the building's aging condition. They also criticized the museum's director, Laurence des Cars, for a top-down management system that ignores staff alerts. The strike follows a series of incidents, including the theft of the French crown jewels in October, a forced closure of the Campana Gallery due to structural issues, and a water leak that damaged hundreds of books in the Egyptian antiquities library.
The strike matters because it threatens to close one of the world's most visited museums during its peak holiday season, further undermining the leadership of Laurence des Cars. The Louvre is already under scrutiny from French parliament, which voted to launch its own investigation into the museum's situation. The unrest highlights systemic failures in maintenance and security, with less than 0.3% of the budget dedicated to theft and fire prevention under des Cars' tenure. A €666 million entrance renovation project, backed by President Macron, has been deemed financially unviable by state auditors, who say priority should go to protecting the collections.