The leader of the organization overseeing the Eiffel Tower will resign by the year’s end following an incident where female employees were excluded during a visit by a Hindu group in Paris. Patrick Branco Ruivo, the general director of Société d’Exploitation de la tour Eiffel, will vacate his position after an investigation revealed operational shortcomings during the September 5 visit. These failures led to the exclusion of female staff members, which the company deemed unacceptable.
The iconic Eiffel Tower, a popular tourist attraction with seven million annual visitors, faced closure on September 7 due to a staff strike protesting what a union representative criticized as inappropriate management directives. Tensions rose among the 330-meter tower’s employees after management instructed that female workers should not interact with the delegation from Bochasanwasi Shri Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha (BAPS), a global religious and civic organization within the Swaminarayan sect of Hinduism. BAPS was celebrating the inauguration of a traditional Hindu stone temple in the Paris area.
BAPS clarified that they did not request the exclusion or removal of female employees during the visit. They emphasized that their monks’ religious practices, which were explained to the Eiffel Tower management beforehand, do not mandate the exclusion of women from visited places.
Ariel Weil, the company’s chairman, announced plans for implementing gender equality measures and training programs. This incident is not the first time the 137-year-old tower has faced closure due to labor disputes. In February 2024, the Eiffel Tower was shut down for six days as workers demanded improved maintenance and higher wages.
The Eiffel Tower’s management is taking steps to address the situation and promote gender equality within the organization.
