PARIS, Dec 15 (Reuters) - The Paris Louvre museum will remain closed on Monday after staff voted in favour of a strike over pay and working conditions, disrupting access for thousands of visitors to the world's most-visited museum.
The walkout, backed by 400 employees and announced by union representatives, comes at a particularly difficult time for the museum, which is still reeling from an October jewel heist worth 88 million euros ($103.30 million) and recent infrastructure problems including a water leak that damaged ancient books.
"Due to public strikes, the museum is currently closed," Le Louvre said on its website.
The labour action, called by the CFDT, CGT and Sud unions, follows what they described as "increasingly degraded working conditions" and insufficient staffing. In their strike notice, the unions said employees are suffering from "an ever-increasing workload" and "contradictory instructions" that prevent them from carrying out their duties properly.
Union requests include hiring more permanent staff, particularly in security and visitor services and improving working conditions. The unions also oppose a 45% ticket price increase from mid-January for non-EU tourists. The hike is meant to help finance renovations.
The Louvre welcomes approximately 30,000 visitors daily.
($1 = 0.8519 euros)
(Reporting by Benoit Tessier, Noemie Olive, Mathieu Rosemain and Dominique Vidalon; Editing by Benoit Van Overstraeten)
