Overview
- The museum began admitting visitors three hours late on January 5 after a staff meeting, with some galleries remaining closed as the walkout restarted.
- Union groups say employees are overworked and are pressing for more hiring, higher pay and tighter oversight of museum spending.
- About 350 workers from operations, conservation and support roles voted to continue strike action, union representatives said.
- Staff point to the October 2025 theft of jewels valued at roughly US$102 million and recent maintenance failures, including a water leak that damaged Egyptology volumes, as evidence of systemic problems.
- Investigations and a Culture Ministry-driven reorganization are in progress, but unions argue proposed fixes fall short and the stolen jewels have not been recovered.