Paris’ Louvre museum opens but some parts stay closed as staff resume strike

Workers install metal security bars over the window where thieves broke into the Louvre museum on Oct.19, Tuesday Dec.23, 2025 in Paris. (AP Photo/Emma Da Silva)

PARIS - The Louvre museum in Paris - hit by a jewel heist in October and by a workers’ dispute - opened on Monday after a three hours delay but some parts remained closed due to the strike.

Staff had met earlier in the day to decide whether to resume a rolling strike, to protest against pay and working conditions. The strike started last month but was called off on December 19 ahead of the Christmas holidays.

The Louvre is the world’s most visited museum but it has been left reeling by last October’s robbery, when four burglars made off with jewels worth US$102 million. The jewels are still missing.

It has also been hit by recent infrastructure problems, including a water leak that damaged ancient books, which have highlighted the museum’s deteriorating state.

Unions have said that staff at the Louvre are overworked and mismanaged, and they are calling for more hiring, pay increases and better use of how the museum’s money is spent.

Reporting by Sarah Meyssonnier, Dominique Vidalon; Editing by Benoit Van Overstraeten/Sudip Kar-Gupta, Reuters