Louvre strike nearing resolution

A resolution to the crisis at the Louvre appears to be emerging following a general assembly on Monday, October 26. The progress achieved was considered significant enough by the staff to allow the signing of an agreement aimed at ending the strike that has been ongoing since December 2025. The document will be ratified on Thursday, October 29, at 2 p.m. by the museum's management and the intersyndical group CFDT-CGT-SUD.

Key agreement points outlined

Among the announced measures are an improvement in social dialogue within the institution, priority given to budgets allocated to the preservation of the building, and new recruitments. A working group must also be formed around the workload of staff. These issues are at the heart of the tensions that have been affecting the world's largest museum for several months, which faces structural difficulties and a series of technical problems and deteriorations.

Strike linked to security scandal

The social movement erupted less than two months after the spectacular robbery on October 19, 2025, during which royal jewels were stolen. This theft revealed the obsolescence and insufficiency of the museum's security systems, as well as more broadly, governance and aging issues. Beyond the question of security, staff also denounced degraded working conditions, insufficient staffing, and a management that was deaf to alerts regarding the condition of the building.

Unions demand changes in priorities

The unions were demanding that the investments planned under the "Louvre – New Renaissance" project be prioritized for security and conservation work, rather than for the creation of a new entrance under the Great Colonnade. They also requested a change in governance, the creation of statutory positions, the stabilization of contract workers, salary increases, and a reduction in workload.

Strike timeline and management changes

On December 8, 2025, the staff voted to file a notice of strike. The strike began on December 15, leading to the complete closure of the museum, and continued on December 17 and 18 with partial opening. Due to insufficient progress after negotiations on December 18, the intersyndical group maintained the strike notice and called for a new general assembly on January 5, 2026. The strike was then renewed on January 5, before being suspended on January 7, allowing the museum to reopen. Despite the arrival in February last year of a new president-director, Christophe Leribault, several months of discussions were ultimately necessary to reach the compromise that will be finalized on Thursday.

Louvre faces ongoing financial and social challenges

The museum is, however, still seeking funding for its works, estimated at one billion euros, and is facing a new wave of protest: student and university demonstrations that have been ongoing since September. These have resulted, on Monday, October 19, in a blockage of the institution by students from the École du Louvre, followed by a closure on Saturday, October 24, during the day of demonstration, as a precaution following the violence on the 17th. This context does not necessarily facilitate the granting of the strikers' demands, a day of closure representing for the museum a loss of revenue of about 400,000 euros.