Paris's most famous landmark went dark for a day this week after Eiffel Tower staff walked out over claims that female employees were sidelined during a private group visit. The tower reopened on Tuesday, 8 September, but the dispute has left a bigger question hanging over how the attraction handles its guests.
The trouble started on Saturday, when a delegation of roughly 100 people from BAPS, a Hindu organisation in the Swaminarayan tradition, visited the tower. The group was in France for the inauguration of a large Hindu temple in Bussy-Saint-Georges, east of Paris. According to the CGT union, female staff were moved away from certain areas during the visit and in some cases swapped out for male colleagues, meaning women were blocked from doing their usual jobs.
The tower's operator, Société d'Exploitation de la Tour Eiffel (SETE), has confirmed that arrangements were made to limit contact between the delegation and female employees — and has admitted it was a mistake. The company said the setup was incompatible with gender equality and the neutrality expected at the monument. Paris authorities have launched an investigation, with officials stressing that equality rules apply at the city's landmarks too.
BAPS tells it differently. The organisation says its visit was coordinated with management purely to keep things running smoothly, and that it never asked for exclusions on the basis of gender. It has apologised to anyone affected and reiterated its commitment to equality. Either way, the union's point stands: it was the operator's decision to accept the arrangements, and staff felt strongly enough to down tools over it.
Industrial action at the tower is nothing new — it closed for several days in 2024 over maintenance and pay concerns. But this strike touches on something different: what happens when a private group's preferences clash with the principles of a public attraction that welcomes millions of visitors a year.
For travellers, the practical takeaway is simple: the tower is open again and visits are proceeding as normal. But it's a useful reminder that even the world's most reliable landmarks can shut at short notice when staff take action, so it pays to book flexible tickets and check the official site before heading to the Champ de Mars.