Hindu Outfit's Visit Provokes Eiffel Staff Strike

Eiffel Tower employees went on strike after female staff were allegedly asked to leave their posts and move to other areas during a visit by the BAPS religious organisation.

The General Confederation of Labour union stated that women employees were replaced by men in some posts and instructed not to cross certain areas. The strike led to the Eiffel Tower's closure on Monday, with reopening expected on Tuesday.

Paris Mayor Emmanuel Grégoire and French Equality Minister Aurore Bergé condemned the alleged actions, calling for an investigation and asserting that gender equality is non-negotiable in France.

BAPS issued an apology, stating they were committed to mutual respect and that the visit was coordinated to limit disruption, denying that access was denied to anyone.

 

Eiffel Tower employees went on a strike after female staff were reportedly asked to leave their posts and move to other areas during a visit by the Hindu religious organisation Bochasanwasi Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha (BAPS).

The trade union representing Eiffel Tower employees, the General Confederation of Labour, which called for the strike, said in a statement that women employees had been asked to leave their posts and withdraw to other areas.

'In some posts they were replaced by men. All female employees were instructed not to go through or cross certain areas while the delegation was present,' the statement from the union added.

Impact and Official Reactions : The strike resulted in the Eiffel Tower being closed throughout Monday.

The landmark tower, which receives nearly seven million visitors a year, was expected to reopen on Tuesday.

The incident occurred during a visit by a BAPS delegation following the consecration of the organisation's first major temple in France on Sunday.

BAPS also organised a cultural boat procession on the River Seine.

Paris Mayor Emmanuel Grégoire, who reacted to the employees' protest, said their concerns were legitimate and called for an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the incident.

'I am taking note of the anger expressed by the employees of the Eiffel Tower, and I want to tell them that their discontent is legitimate. It is not acceptable that such conditions can be tolerated,' Grégoire said.

'These are neither my values, nor those that the Eiffel Tower should uphold, where everyone -- regardless of gender -- should be able to move about and act freely, without distinction between women and men,' said the Paris mayor.

'Equality between women and men will never stop at the foot of our historical monuments, nor anywhere in this city. It must be applied everywhere, for everyone. I will ensure this, everywhere and without exception. An investigation will be launched as quickly as possible,' added the mayor.

French Equality Minister Aurore Bergé also reacted strongly to the allegations, posting on X: 'In France, we do not ask women to step aside. No dogma, no religion is superior to the laws of the Republic. If the facts reported at the Eiffel Tower are confirmed, they are unacceptable.'

'In France, equality between women and men is neither negotiable nor variable. It is a principle and it allows no exceptions,' she added.

An X user commenting on the incident wrote: 'We are in France; in our society, women hold the same place as men. They have the right to work. Those who would seek to render women invisible for any reason whatsoever need only turn back.'

BAPS later issued a statement apologising to anyone who may have been affected by the incident.

'We wish to offer our sincere apologies to anyone who may have been hurt or inconvenienced by this situation. We are deeply committed to the universal values of mutual respect and service to others,' the organisation said.

Addressing the arrangements for the visit, BAPS said: 'Given the size of our delegation, the visit was organised in coordination with the Eiffel Tower teams at the start of normal opening hours in order to limit as much as possible any disruption for other visitors.'

'To our knowledge, at no time was access to the Eiffel Tower denied to anyone,' BAPS added.