Overview
- An independent investigation commissioned by Société d’Exploitation de la tour Eiffel found a series of operational failures that resulted in female employees being moved from posts or told to avoid areas during a visit on September 5.
- The company said director-general Patrick Branco Ruivo will leave at the end of the year while he and SETE’s board maintain no evidence he ordered the sidelining of women and expressed regret that it occurred.
- Staff protested the arrangements and staged a walkout that closed the landmark for a day on September 7, with unions saying women were asked to withdraw from workstations and in some cases were replaced by men.
- The visiting delegation was linked to the Hindu group BAPS, which apologised for any pain caused and said it did not ask for women to be hidden while also noting some monks observe vows that limit contact with women.
- SETE chair Ariel Weil has demanded a dedicated protocol department, gender-equality measures and training to prevent repeats, and the City of Paris has opened parallel investigations that remain ongoing.