Sawt Falasteen - Louvre Museum closed as workers strike

Workers are demanding extra staff and measures to tackle overcrowding, adding to the woes of the world's most visited museum just as France is gearing up for the Christmas holidays.

The strike comes nearly two months after the museum was victim of an embarrassing daylight heist that saw crown jewels worth $102 million stolen.

"We are closed," a security agent told visitors on Monday morning, according to an AFP journalist. "Come back in a few hours."

Around 400 employees voted unanimously to continue their strike at a general meeting, the CGT and CFDT unions said.

"I'm very disappointed, because the Louvre was the main reason for our visit in Paris, because we wanted to see the 'Mona Lisa'," said 37-year-old Minsoo Kim, who travelled from Seoul to Paris with his wife for their honeymoon.

Natalia Brown, a 28-year-old tourist from London, said she was also disappointed.

"At the same time, I understand why they're doing it, it's just unfortunate timing for us."

Speaking on the eve of the action, Christian Galani, from the hard-left CGT union, said the strike would have broad support across the museum's 2,200-strong workforce.

"We're going to have a lot more strikers than usual," Galani said. "Normally, it's front-of-house and security staff. This time, there are scientists, documentarians, collections managers, even curators and colleagues in the workshops telling us they plan to go on strike."

All have different grievances, adding up to a picture of staff discontent inside the institution, just as it finds itself in a harsh public spotlight following the shocking robbery on October 19.

Reception and security staff complain they are understaffed and required to manage vast flows of people, with the home of Leonardo da Vinci's "Mona Lisa" welcoming several million people beyond its planned capacity each year.

A spontaneous walk-out protest on June 16 this year led the museum to temporarily close.

The Louvre has become a symbol of so-called "over-tourism", with the 30,000 daily visitors facing what unions call an "obstacle course" of hazards, long queues, and sub-standard toilets and catering.

Documentarians and curators are increasingly horrified by the state of disrepair inside the former royal palace, with a recent water leak and the closure of a gallery due to structural problems underlining the difficulties.

"The building is not in a good state," chief Louvre architect Francois Chatillon admitted in front of lawmakers last month during a parliamentary hearing.

Under-fire Louvre boss Laurence des Cars, who faces persistent calls to resign, warned the government in January in a widely publicised memo about leaks, overheating and the declining visitor experience.

After the memo, French President Emmanuel Macron announced a massive renovation plan for the museum, expected to cost 700 million to 800 million euros (up to $940 million).

- Security failures -

Questions continue to swirl since the break-in over whether it was avoidable and why a national treasure such as the Louvre appeared to be so poorly protected.

Two intruders used a portable extendable ladder to access the gallery containing the crown jewels, cutting through a glass door with angle grinders in front of startled visitors before stealing eight priceless items.

Investigations have since revealed that only one security camera was working outside when they struck, that guards in the control room did not have enough screens to watch the coverage in real time, and that police were initially misdirected.

Major security vulnerabilities were highlighted in several studies seen by management of the Louvre over the last decade, including a 2019 audit by experts at the jewellery company Van Cleef & Arpels.

Their findings stressed that the riverside balcony targeted by the thieves was a weak point and could be easily reached with an extendable ladder -- exactly what transpired in the heist.

F.Qawasmeh--SF-PST