The grand gallery of the Musée du Louvre in Paris, December 2, 2025. IAN LANGSDON/AFP
It has been one crisis after another at the Louvre. After the daring theft of the crown jewels on October 19, which exposed security flaws, came the sudden closure of the Campana gallery due to weakened beams, and then a pipe leak that damaged several hundred works on November 26, requiring staff to dry them with blotting paper. Now, museum president Laurence des Cars faces a new challenge: labor unrest.
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On Monday, December 8, a strike notice for December 15, with the possibility of renewal, was voted by all unions representing staff at the Louvre: the CFDT, the CGT and SUD. The last strike, a short walkout on June 16, lasted only a few hours. Unions cite the strategic direction and the rigid management style introduced by the leadership since 2021 as reasons for the strike notice. "The goal is to put pressure on them for a week to get results," said one union representative.
