Eiffel Tower workers go on strike after female staff 'sidelined' for Hindu group's visit - france24.com

**Eiffel Tower workers strike after female staff “sidelined” for Hindu group’s visit**

Paris – On Thursday, employees of the Eiffel Tower’s operating company, Société d’Exploitation de la Tour Eiffel (SETE), launched a one‑day strike to protest the alleged removal of female staff from their duties during a cultural visit by a Hindu delegation. According to union representatives and reports in *Le Monde* and *The Times of India*, a group of Hindu performers entered the tower on Monday for a private event. Management allegedly asked several women – including ticket‑checking agents and souvenir‑shop attendants – to step aside so that only male staff would interact with the visitors, citing “cultural sensitivity” concerns. The affected employees claim the decision breached French labor law and gender‑equality norms, prompting the Confederation Générale du Travail (CGT) to call for a walk‑out that halted ticket sales and lift operations for several hours.

SETE’s spokesperson denied any policy of gender discrimination, stating that staff assignments were adjusted only to respect the “religious customs” of the visiting group and that all employees were treated in accordance with the company’s standard operating procedures. The French Ministry of Culture, which oversees the monument, announced an immediate investigation into the incident, emphasizing that any deviation from the Republic’s secular and egalitarian principles would be taken seriously. In parallel, the French Ministry of Labour has been asked to examine whether the actions contravened the country’s equal‑treatment legislation, while the French Council of State is expected to review the legal framework governing private events at public monuments.

The strike drew mixed reactions from the public and diplomatic circles. Women’s rights groups, including the Fédération des Femmes Françaises, condemned the alleged sidelining as “a blatant example of gender bias under the guise of cultural accommodation.” Meanwhile, representatives of the Indian Embassy in Paris expressed disappointment over the episode but stressed that India respects France’s secular values and called for a “transparent and swift resolution.” As the investigation proceeds, SETE has pledged to review its staffing protocols for future private events to ensure compliance with French law and to restore confidence among its workforce and visitors.