PARIS (AP) – The Eiffel Tower will reopen to visitors on Sunday after a six-day closure due to a strike by workers demanding better upkeep and higher wages for the historic building, which shows signs of rust. It has restarted.
In a statement, the 330-meter (1,083-foot) tower’s operator pledged to allocate “an ambitious investment of 380 million euros (approximately $412 million) by 2031” to the renovation work. The company later announced that it had reached an agreement with the union representing the workers. Salary negotiations began this week after striking employees demanded an increase proportional to ticket sales revenue, and are expected to be concluded next month.
The 135-year-old tower will feature prominently in an international exhibition from July 26 to August. The 2011 Paris Games and the subsequent Paralympic Games. The Paris Olympic and Paralympic medals are embedded with fragments of hexagonal iron blocks taken from historic buildings.
The Eiffel Tower is usually open year-round. The monument was closed for 10 days last year when large-scale protests against the French government’s pension reform plans took place across France.
