FRANCE: Tourists frustrated by Paris museums strike

Record ID: 340391

  • Title: FRANCE: Tourists frustrated by Paris museums strike
  • Date: 3rd December 2009
  • Summary: PARIS, FRANCE (DECEMBER 2, 2009) (REUTERS) EXTERIORS OF LOUVRE MUSEUM IN PARIS/ PEOPLE QUEUNING BY THE LOUVRE PYRAMID NOTICE SAYING THAT MUSEUM IS CLOSED BY INDUSTRIAL ACTION MUSEUM EMPLOYEES TOURISTS IN LINE OUTSIDE THE LOUVRE UNION MEETING UNDER LOUVRE PYRAMID LOUVRE EMPLOYEE LISTENING TO SHOP STEWARD (SOUNDBITE) (French) PIERRE ZINENBERG OF SUD TRADES UNION SAYIN
  • Embargoed: 18th December 2009 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: France
  • Country: France
  • Topics: Domestic Politics,Travel / Tourism
  • Reuters ID: LVA2AHZQ8Z273EI0ZRG0JBX2MQIL
  • Story Text: Tourists from around the world were left disappointed on Wednesday (December 2) when several museums in Paris were hit by strikes in protest at government plans to cut civil service jobs Workers at the Louvre museum met to call a strike, as security guards waved waiting tourists away.
    A museum spokesman said the world famous Louvre finally opened very late after management found enough people to provide a skeleton staff.
    Other musems that remained closed included the Orsay and the Pompidou centre, where the dispute began a week ago.
    Union officials said they were furious at plans to cut jobs by only replacing 50 percent of departing staff.
    "It's not only about the number of jobs," said Roger Martinez, General secretary of the National Cultural Affairs union.
    "There's also the question of budget. State funding will fall and in some establishments will disappear. This means that some places that are being pushed towards financial autonomy will be left in a situation of financial asphyxia and imbalance. And it's obviously the employees who will suffer the consequences."
    The delays, closures and uncertainty clearly dismayed tourists who had begun to line up outside the cultural tourist attractions early in the morning.
    The dispute started at the Pompidou Centre but is threatening to spread to other landmarks in the run-up to the year-end festivities when tourism in the French capital picks up.
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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