The reasons behind the indefinite strike by Louvre staff Things are already changing
Recently, roughly 400 employees of the Louvre, out of a total of about two thousand, joined the indefinite strike organized by the unions. According to the workers, the mobilization became necessary to denounce the worsening conditions under which the museum staff are forced to operate – with repercussions also on the quality of services offered to visitors, who number over 25,000 every day.
BREAKING: Employees at the Louvre Museum voted Wednesday to extend a strike that has disrupted operations at the world’s most visited museum. https://t.co/4VduiLfjz8
— The Associated Press (@AP) December 17, 2025
Specifically, the unions are requesting concrete measures to address the increased workload, along with an increase in permanent hires, particularly in public services and in the security sectors. The recent and audacious theft of some items exhibited at the Louvre highlighted deficiencies in the museum's surveillance systems.
What’s wrong at the Louvre
@lucauffret Blocage au musée du Louvre ce lundi à Paris et début d'une grève reconductible. Le musée est fermé au public pour au moins la journée. Les salariés dénoncent la dégradation de leurs conditions de travail, les défaillances de sécurité et le manque d'effectif. #louvre #louvremuseum #Paris #France La valse d´Amélie - Claudio Constantini
In recent years, the state funds allocated to the museum and its management have been progressively reduced. The French Minister of Culture, Rachida Dati, has recently reportedly committed to stepping back, limiting the reduction of resources for the museum: according to the budget law, in 2026 a cut of nearly 6 million euros is planned for the Louvre’s economic support. Last year, the museum received just over 98 million euros in funding.
The Louvre shows evident management problems, including a persistent staff shortage which, in some instances, has forced management to restrict access to several rooms to prevent them from being left unsupervised. On other occasions, entire areas of the museum were closed due to the precarious structural conditions of the building: for example, last November, leaks from some water pipes damaged about 400 books on display in the Ancient Egypt section.
Will the Louvre be renovated?
Last January, the director of the Louvre, Laurence des Cars, directly appealed to Macron, requesting greater support from the government to resolve the museum’s organizational and structural problems: the French president responded by announcing a major renovation plan for the museum.
In this context, something has recently started to move: Minister of Culture Dati entrusted the task of reorganizing the Louvre to the same public official who handled the 2023 reconstruction of Notre-Dame. In the meantime, officials from the French Ministry of Culture are closely monitoring the staff mobilization at the museum, also because they want to avoid a prolonged closure of the center, especially during a high tourist influx period, such as the end of the year.
