Eiffel Tower workers strike during tourist season

GlobalPost
The World

France's iconic Eiffel Tower closed Tuesday when the monument’s some 300 workers called a strike to protest a number of issues, including salary raises, working conditions and profit-sharing policy.

The famous Parisian tower, usually open year-round, receives about 25,000 tourists a day, and it's not yet clear how long the strike will go on. The last strike lasted two days in December 2010.

The workers' CGT union said in a statement one point of contention was the lack of renovations, specifically an extra elevator wokers claim was supposed to be completed by now.

"The waiting lines are growing longer, the visitors are growing more and more impatient and the work conditions are deteriorating," a CGT statement said. "The absence of this elevator has serious consequences for maintenance."

Last week, the Eiffel Tower was evacuated after an unidentified man said he would jump off the building. As the Associated Press points out, the monument is no stranger to suicide threats or bomb threats.

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