New Delhi, September 8: The Eiffel Tower was shut on Monday after staff went on strike following allegations that female employees were asked to leave their posts during a visit by a delegation associated with the BAPS spiritual movement. According to staff union representative Diane Davoine, female workers were asked to leave their places of work and, in some cases, were replaced by male employees during the delegation’s visit.
“During the visit of this delegation, women were asked to leave their places of work in order to place men there,” Davoine said as per Reuters. She said the instruction particularly upset the women employees, who “felt humiliated”.
“Some were asked to leave their posts and withdraw to other areas. In some posts, they were replaced by men. And all female employees were instructed not to go through or cross certain areas while the delegation was present,” Davoine said. “Tensions mounted over the weekend, so this morning, the employees decided to meet: first, to open a dialogue with management, and second, to ensure that women are never treated this way at the company again,” she added.
Meanwhile, the BAPS Hindu temple in Paris said in a statement on X that the visit had been coordinated in advance with the Eiffel Tower’s teams during the monument’s opening hours.
“To our knowledge, at no time was access to the Eiffel Tower denied to anyone. Nevertheless, 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 statement said.
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