Eiffel Tower Director General to Step Down After Female Staff Sidelined
A management crisis at France's landmark prompted leadership changes after female employees were ordered away from a visiting religious delegation.
The director general of the company operating the Eiffel Tower will step down at the end of the year, following an inquiry into the exclusion of female employees during a visit by a Hindu delegation in Paris.
Patrick Branco Ruivo, who has led the Société d'Exploitation de la Tour Eiffel since 2018, will leave his position after management mishandled the visit on Sept. 5, the operating company announced on Tuesday.
The controversy began when about 100 people linked to the Bochasanwasi Shri Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha visited the tower. Management instructed female staff to avoid contact with the group, prompting union complaints that women were ordered to leave workstations and stay in separate rooms while male staff took their places.
Employees staged a strike on Sept. 7 to protest the orders, which union representatives described as a violation of workplace nondiscrimination rules. The walkout forced the landmark to close for the day.
An independent investigation commissioned by the operating company concluded that operational shortcomings directly led to female staff being excluded. The operating company stated that the arrangements were unacceptable and acknowledged that requests to restrict interactions with women should have been rejected.
The visiting delegation was in France to celebrate the inauguration of a Hindu temple east of Paris. Representatives of the religious group said the request aimed to ensure a smooth visit for monks whose monastic vows include avoiding contact with women, adding that the arrangement was not meant to cause offense.
SETE board chair Ariel Weil announced that the company will now implement new staff training programs and internal protocols focused on gender equality.
