PARIS, Dec 17 (Reuters) – Staff at France’s Louvre museum in Paris on Wednesday unanimously voted in favour of extending a strike over pay and working conditions that began on Monday, leaving the world’s most visited museum closed until further notice.
The museum is routinely closed on Tuesdays.
The strike comes after a spectacular jewel heist in October, as well as recent infrastructure problems, including a water leak that damaged ancient books, which have exposed glaring security gaps and revealed the museum’s deteriorating state.
Unions have said that staff at the Louvre are overworked and mismanaged, and they are calling for more hiring, pay increases and a redirection of spending.
Louvre director Laurence des Cars, who has faced intense criticism since burglars in October made off with crown jewels worth 88 million euros ($103.14 million), is due to answer questions from the French Senate on Wednesday afternoon.
(Reporting by John Cotton, Dominique Vidalon, writing by Louise Breusch Rasmussen)
