Back in October 2025, the Louvre was robbed for the first time since 1998. This robbery made international headlines for weeks, and the stolen jewels have still not yet been recovered. The police have been investigating and have arrested several suspects, but investigators have not located the priceless jewels. Surrounding this robbery, there were concerns regarding the museum’s security system, which brought attention to the museum’s understaffing.
In response to the museum’s issue of chronic understaffing, as well as other issues such as poor management and decaying infrastructure, the Louvre’s workers have decided to strike. They have been on strike since late 2025, into this year, and are currently still striking. They are demanding better pay, more permanent staff, renovations, and overall better conditions. “As well as the robbery, two other recent incidents have highlighted maintenance problems inside the building, which chief architect François Chatillon has described as “not in a good state”. A water leak in November damaged hundreds of books and manuscripts in the Egyptian department, while management had to shut a gallery housing ancient Greek ceramics in October because ceiling beams above it risked giving way,” French news outlet France 24 described the conditions.
Recently, just on Monday, January 12th, the Louvre had a forced closure due to the workers’ strike. CNN reported on what happened during this unexpected closure, “The spontaneous strike erupted during a routine internal meeting, as gallery attendants, ticket agents and security personnel refused to take up their posts in protest over unmanageable crowds, chronic understaffing and what one union called “untenable” working conditions,” as well as saying, “It’s a rare thing for the Louvre to close its doors to the public. It has happened during war, during the pandemic, and in a handful of strikes — including spontaneous walkouts over overcrowding in 2019 and safety fears in 2013. But seldom has it felt quite like this: tourists lining the plaza, tickets in hand, with no clear explanation for why the museum had, without warning, simply stopped.” With the Louvre being such an incredibly well-renowned museum worldwide, this closure was not only a shock to the French people but to many people all over the globe.
This strike is not the first time that the conditions have proved problematic for the Louvre’s workers. “Worker tensions at the Louvre also reached a boiling point back on June 16, with an internal staff meeting leading to a surprise closure. Museum leadership met with workers, and the museum eventually opened for the day at 2:30 p.m. The current rolling strike, planned in advance, has the potential to be longer and more disruptive. The museum is closed on Tuesdays, but the strike could continue Wednesday,” news.artnet.com stated about the previous strike. There is no set end date for the strike, and it is expected to continue until the workers’ list of demands has been met to their satisfaction.
