Eiffel Tower boss to resign after anger over female staff exclusion during Hindu delegation visit

Eiffel Tower boss to resign after anger over female staff exclusion during Hindu delegation visit Staff at the iconic Paris landmark went on strike in protest over ‘unacceptable’ management instructions - Bookmark Become an Independent member to bookmark this article Already a member? Log in The chief executive of the firm running the Eiffel Tower is set to step down by the end of the year after female employees working at the iconic Paris landmark site were excluded during a visit by a Hindu religious group. Patrick Branco Ruivo, director general of the Société d’Exploitation de la tour Eiffel (SETE), leaves his post following an inquiry conducted by an independent firm into operational failures regarding the visit on 5 September. These management failures resulted "in female staff being excluded from the visit that day, an unacceptable situation," a SETE statement confirmed on Tuesday. Ruivo took up the top position at the end of 2018. Attracting 7 million visitors a year, the Eiffel Tower was closed on 7 September when employees went on strike in protest over what a union official described as "unacceptable" management instructions. Anger grew among staff of the 330-meter (1,083-foot) iconic landmark after management told employees that female workers should not be in contact with the delegation from Bochasanwasi Shri Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha. The group, known as BAPS, is a worldwide religious and civic organization within the Swaminarayan sect, a branch of Hinduism. It had been holding celebrations to mark the inauguration of a traditional Hindu stone temple in Paris. Ariel Weil, chair of SETE, said on Tuesday she has requested measures and training programs promoting gender equality to be implemented. It was not the first time the 137-year-old tower has been closed by industrial action. It was shut for six days in February 2024 because of striking employees demanding better maintenance of the historic landmark, and higher wages.