Workers at the Louvre will launch a rolling strike Monday demanding more staff and measures to tackle chronic overcrowding and deteriorating facilities. The action, backed by a wide range of museum employees, comes as the institution remains under intense scrutiny after a $102 million crown-jewels theft on October 19. Investigations exposed security lapses — including only one working external camera and insufficient control-room monitoring — and prior audits warned the riverside balcony was vulnerable. The walkout could cause partial closures during the busy Christmas season.
Louvre Staff Launch Rolling Strike Over Overcrowding, Staffing and Security Lapses After $102M Heist
The daring robbery at the Louvre took place in broad daylight (Dimitar DILKOFF)(Dimitar DILKOFF/AFP/AFP)
Workers at the Louvre Museum will begin a rolling strike on Monday to demand more staff and concrete measures to ease chronic overcrowding — a protest that comes amid heightened scrutiny after a daylight theft of crown jewels worth $102 million on October 19.
Union leaders say the action could disrupt operations during the busy Christmas season and has the potential for broad backing across the museum’s roughly 2,200 employees.
“I can't guarantee that the institution will be closed. If they do open the museum, it will only be a partial opening, with a very, very limited route, just to say 'we’re open',”
Christian Galani of the hard-left CGT trade union told AFP that this strike could involve many staff groups beyond the usual front-of-house and security teams. “This time there are scientists, documentarians, collections managers, even curators and colleagues in the workshops, telling us they plan to go on strike,” he said.
Reception and security staff complain of chronic understaffing and being asked to manage vast daily visitor numbers — unions estimate about 30,000 people a day — which they say creates safety hazards, long queues and pressure on basic services such as toilets and catering.
Other museum professionals — from documentarians to curators — point to signs of physical deterioration across the former royal palace, including a recent water leak and the temporary closure of a gallery for structural reasons. Chief Louvre architect François Chatillon told MPs last month: “The building is not in a good state.”
Director Laurence des Cars, who has faced calls to resign, warned the government earlier this year in a memo about leaks, overheating and a declining visitor experience.
Security Failings Under Scrutiny
Questions remain about how the October heist could have occurred and why security proved so fragile. Two intruders used an extendable ladder to reach the riverside balcony, cut through a glass door with angle grinders in front of visitors and escaped with eight crown-jewellery items.
Investigations found a series of security failings: only one external camera was working at the time of the theft, control-room staff lacked enough screens to monitor coverage in real time, and police responding to the scene were initially misdirected. Management had reportedly been shown audits over the years identifying similar vulnerabilities — including a 2019 report by Van Cleef & Arpels warning the riverside balcony could be reached by ladder.
The unions say the strike aims to force management and authorities to invest in both staffing and long-term improvements to visitor flows, building maintenance and security systems.
