World’s most visited museum remains shut as staff strike

Wednesday, December 17, 2025 -The Louvre Museum in Paris, the world’s most visited cultural institution, remained closed due to an ongoing staff strike over pay, working conditions, and chronic understaffing. 

Employees voted unanimously to extend their walkout, leaving the museum shuttered after regular weekly closures and disrupting access for thousands of tourists during the busy holiday season. The strike comes amid mounting frustrations over deteriorating infrastructure and management decisions, intensifying pressure on museum leadership.

Unionised workers say the walkout stems not only from compensation concerns but also from widening security and maintenance challenges following a high-profile jewel heist in October and recent infrastructure issues, including a damaging water leak. 

Staff argue that long-standing shortages and poor conditions have undermined both visitor experience and workplace safety, and they are calling for more hiring, better pay, and a shift in how resources are allocated. Museum and government officials have held crisis talks, but proposed measures so far have been deemed insufficient by union leaders.

The closure of the Louvre has drawn widespread attention and frustration from international visitors and cultural observers, highlighting broader debates about investment and management at one of the globe’s most iconic institutions. 

Union officials and staff have vowed to maintain the strike until meaningful changes are agreed upon, and national lawmakers are scrutinising museum leadership over security and operational failures. For now, the museum’s full reopening remains uncertain as negotiations continue.