PARIS—The Louvre museum in Paris reopened to the public on May 29 after being shut down for a day when workers complained about overcrowding and walked out Monday.
Union representatives met Wednesday to discuss plans from the museum’s management on how to ease the traffic flow at the world’s most visited museum.
They say the current dispute is linked to renovation work around the “Mona Lisa” painting, which has caused organizational problems, huge queues and the harassment of staff by frustrated tourists.
Unions decided to reopen the museum at 11 a.m., some two hours after its regular start time, after management agreed to bring in 30 more employees on a temporary basis over summer.
“Satisfied is not the word. It’s a short-term band-aid dressing to the problems of overcrowding,” said Christian Galani of the CGT Culture union.
“Thirty extra temporary workers will be hired in June. But what we want are permanent civil servant positions to solve the problem once and for all,” he added.
Unions note that staff numbers have dropped over the past decade even though the number of visitors to the Louvre has risen 20%.
“We had planned our entire trip around coming to the Louvre because we are huge art lovers,” Berry said.
The gallery in which the “Mona Lisa” is exhibited is undergoing a months-long renovation.
