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Strike Closes Eiffel Tower on 100th Anniversary of Creator Death


A board informs visitors that the site is closed after staff went on strike, at the bottom of the Eiffel Tower in Paris, Dec. 27, 2023.
A board informs visitors that the site is closed after staff went on strike, at the bottom of the Eiffel Tower in Paris, Dec. 27, 2023.

The Eiffel Tower was closed on Wednesday, the 100th anniversary of its creator's death, due to a strike, the company that oversees the tower, Societe d'Exploitation de la Tour Eiffel (SETE), said on the website of Paris' most famous landmark.

"A symbolic action on a symbolic date," said the CGT union in a statement, adding that staff members wanted to call out the current financial management of SETE.

They said they feared poor decisions could lead to a cash shortage, due in part to a lack of visitors during the COVID-19 pandemic, and to expensive repairs needed on the historical building.

The statement added that if the city did not revise its management, the tower could be closed during Paris 2024 Olympic Games.

The wrought-iron 324-meter high tower, built by Gustave Eiffel in the late 19th century, is among the most visited tourist sites in the world, welcoming about six million visitors each year.

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    Reuters

    Reuters is a news agency founded in 1851 and owned by the Thomson Reuters Corporation based in Toronto, Canada. One of the world's largest wire services, it provides financial news as well as international coverage in over 16 languages to more than 1000 newspapers and 750 broadcasters around the globe.

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