By Lewis Macdonald and Clotaire Achi
PARIS, Sept 7 (Reuters) - Female employees at the Eiffel Tower were asked to step out of sight during a visit by a Hindu religious delegation at the weekend, according to union representatives, prompting a staff protest and an investigation by Paris city authorities.
The monument was closed late on Monday as employees held a meeting over the incident, which has angered staff and drawn criticism from French politicians.
On Saturday, a delegation of about 100 people linked to the Hindu group Bochasanwasi Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha, or BAPS, made a private visit to the Eiffel Tower.
"As the delegation passed through, women were asked to leave their workstations so that men could take their places," Diane Davoine, a union representative, told Reuters.
"Tensions mounted over the weekend, so this morning, the employees decided to meet: first, to open a dialogue with management, and second, to ensure that women are never treated this way at the company again," she said.
Signs at the base of the tower on Monday read: "The opening of the Eiffel Tower is delayed for operational reasons."
Davoine said management apologised to staff over the incident.
Paris Mayor Emmanuel Gregoire said that an investigation would be launched "as soon as possible". In a post on social media platform X, he said he was aware of the employees' anger and agreed their dissatisfaction was legitimate.
"It is urgent that all light be shed on the facts that led to this protest," Gregoire wrote.
BAPS, whose representatives were in France for festivities related to the inauguration of a Hindu temple in the Paris suburbs, said in a statement that the visit to the Eiffel Tower was arranged at the start of opening hours to avoid disrupting others, due to the size of its delegation.
"To the best of our knowledge, at no point was anyone prevented access to the Eiffel Tower. Nevertheless, we sincerely apologise for any pain or inconvenience caused," the statement said.
A spokesperson for SETE, the company operating the monument, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Yael Braun-Pivet, the president of the National Assembly, wrote in a post on X: "Welcoming others never means giving up our values. In France, women are fully present in public life. No one tells them to become invisible."
(Reporting by Lewis Macdonald, Clotaire Achi and Michaela Cabrera; Writing by Makini Brice; Editing by Ros Russell)
