Eiffel Tower Chief to Step Down After Female Staff Excluded During Hindu Delegation Visit

The director general of the company operating Paris’ Eiffel Tower will leave his position at the end of the year following an investigation into the exclusion of female employees during a visit by a Hindu religious delegation.

Patrick Branco Ruivo, who has led the Société d’Exploitation de la Tour Eiffel since 2018, will step down after an independent investigation identified several operational failures surrounding the delegation’s visit on September 5.

The company said the failures led to female employees being excluded from the visit, describing the situation as unacceptable.

The incident sparked anger among workers at the landmark and contributed to a staff strike that forced the Eiffel Tower to close on September 7.

The dispute centered on instructions given to employees that female staff members should not come into contact with members of the visiting delegation from Bochasanwasi Shri Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha, widely known as BAPS.

BAPS is an international Hindu religious and civic organization belonging to the Swaminarayan tradition. Its members were in France as part of celebrations surrounding the inauguration of a traditional Hindu stone temple in the Paris region.

The organization said it had not asked Eiffel Tower management to remove, conceal or exclude female employees during the visit.

BAPS said the religious practices of its monks had been explained to tower management beforehand and were personal spiritual commitments that did not require women to be excluded from places visited by the delegation.

The organization did not provide further details about the specific practices involved.

The controversy prompted renewed questions about workplace equality and how religious practices should be accommodated in public institutions and major tourist attractions.

Ariel Weil, chairman of the Eiffel Tower operating company, said measures would be introduced to strengthen gender equality, including training programs for staff.

The company’s decision follows an investigation commissioned after the incident. The inquiry examined how the visit was organized and the management decisions that resulted in female employees being kept away from the delegation.

The Eiffel Tower, one of France’s most recognizable landmarks, attracts around seven million visitors each year. Standing approximately 330 meters tall, it is one of the country’s most important tourist attractions and a major symbol of Paris.

The September closure was not the first time employees have taken industrial action at the tower. In February 2024, the landmark remained closed for six days after workers went on strike over concerns about maintenance and demands for higher wages.

The latest dispute has placed renewed attention on management practices at one of the world’s most visited monuments. Ruivo is expected to remain in his position until the end of 2026, when a successor will take over the leadership of the organization responsible for operating the Eiffel Tower.

Courtesy: apnews