Strike at the Eiffel Tower in Paris disrupts visits to one of the world's most popular monuments

The Eiffel Tower is typically open 365 days a year, but it is occasionally affected by strikes.

Visits to the Eiffel Tower were disrupted on Monday because of a strike over poor financial management of the monument, which is one of the world’s most-visited sites. The hugely popular 300-metre (984-foot) landmark in central Paris has seen soaring visitor numbers in the lead-up to the Summer Olympics in the French capital.

They advised visitors to check the website before heading to the monument or to postpone their visit. Tourists planning to visit the Eiffel Tower on Monday were warned of disruptions in multiple languages on the monument’s website.

The Eiffel Tower is typically open 365 days a year, but it is occasionally affected by strikes. In December, the monument was closed to visitors for an entire day during the Christmas and New Year’s holidays because of a strike over contract negotiations.

Stephane Dieu of the CGT union, which represents a large number of the Eiffel Tower’s employees, said Monday’s strike is aimed at a salary increase in proportion to the incoming revenue from ticket sales and improved maintenance of the monument, which is owned by the Paris municipality.