An Eiffel Tower strike caused the famous Paris landmark to be closed on Tuesday.
The elevators of the Eiffel Tower were not operating as workers led a protest over security and working conditions. More than 300 workers held a strike over late-running maintenance work and pay disputes, Reuters reports.
The strike led to thousands of visitors being disappointed as they were unable to go inside the Eiffel Tower and see the breathtaking views of the city's skyline. The visitors were not given any sort of warning that the elevators would not be working.
"It's disappointing spending this much money to come here and you can't come to the one landmark people probably come here to see most," U.S. tourist Jamie McNulty told Reuters.
"Well, it's my first time here and actually it is our last day," Olga Castillanos, 26, of Los Angeles told the Associated Press. Visiting the Eiffel Tower "is the last thing we wanted to do as tourists and we were not able to do it."
Union representatives are upset over the mismanagement of repairs to the 324-metre wrought iron tower. They have complained for several years. A renovation project for the west elevator started in 2008 and was supposed to last for 18 months but the project is still not finished and workers claim that the tower cannot accommodate the 30,000 visitors that come to the structure on a daily basis.
"It took them two years to build (the Eiffel Tower), and now it's taking more than five years for one lift," a disgruntled employee told Reuters.
The workers believe that the amount of people that visit the tower is a security risk and undermines working conditions.
The Eiffel Tower was originally built for the 1889 Universal Exhibiton and was only supposed to last for 20 years but it has become a symbol for the city. It is visited by nearly seven million people a year and rarely closes unless there is a suicide threat, a bomb threat or a strike.
This article is copyrighted by Travelers Today, the travel news leader
