This Just In: Budget Travel's Blog

You can always trust us—because we never take freebies or accept any travel discounts.
Recent Posts
  • All Recent Posts
People Are Talking…
Popular Authors
Sean O'Neill
Contributing Editor
View author page
Brad Tuttle
Contributing Editor
View author page
Andrea Minarcek
Senior Editor
View author page
AddThis Feed Button
Paris: Museums on strike?
Posted by: Meg Zimbeck, Monday, Nov 30, 2009, 11:19 AM

Strike
(Courtesy Meg Zimbeck)

To the barricades! A labor strike threatens to shut down popular museums in the French capital.

Already, The Pompidou Center, which is the second-most-popular Paris museum after the Louvre, has been closed since November 23. Workers walked off to protest a government plan to reduce cultural spending.

This plan, part of President Nicolas Sarkozy's effort to make cultural institutions "more efficient," entails replacing only one out of every two retiring civil servants. The proposed initiative would affect institutions across the country, but the potential impact at the The Pompidou Center is more severe because more than 40 percent of its staff are already above the age of 50. 

The Pompidou is currently closed
[+] Enlarge photo
The Pompidou is currently closed (Courtesy Panoramas/Flickr)
Beyond the modern art center, strikes are a real possibility at attractions across the country. Seven different unions are threatening to launch a major strike on December 2 if their demands are not met by the Ministry of Culture. In an interview with the AFP, one union leader warned that "all the major establishments are concerned," including the Louvre, Versailles, the Musée d'Orsay, Notre Dame, and Mont Saint-Michel. 

We'll be watching the situation closely and updating readers about what is (and isn't) open. 

EARLIER
Paris: Museums for free

Practical Paris: What's closed on Sundays, Mondays, and Tuesdays?

Leave a Comment





We encourage users to analyze, comment on, and even challenge the articles, blogs, reviews, and multimedia features of BudgetTravel.com.

User reviews and comments that include profanity or personal attacks or other inappropriate comments or material will be removed from the site. Additionally, entries that are unsigned or contain "signatures" by someone other than the actual author will be removed. Finally, we will take steps to block users who violate any of our posting standards, terms of use or privacy policies or any other policies governing this site. Please review the full rules governing commentaries and discussions.

Follow Us!

Booking Tool

Check Current Prices

  1. Hotels
  2. Flights
  3. Cars
  4. Cruises

Choose Sites

Choose Sites

Choose Sites

Choose Sites

Get Custom Content

Select the details relevant to your trip to see a list of articles that match your needs — it's the best way to get ideas!
SELECT YOUR DESTINATION
SELECT YOUR ACTIVITIES