The head of the company that runs the Eiffel Tower will step down at the end of the year after female staff at the landmark building in Paris were allegedly excluded during a visit by a Hindu religious group. Patrick Branco Ruivo, director general of the Societe d'Exploitation de la tour Eiffel (SETE), will leave his post after an investigation conducted by an independent firm uncovered a series of operational failures in relation to the visit on September 5.
The failures resulted "in female staff being excluded from the visit that day, an unacceptable situation," a SETE statement on Tuesday said. Ruivo was appointed at the end of 2018.
The Eiffel Tower, which attracts 7 million visitors a year, was closed on September 7 due to a staff strike in protest over what a union official described as "unacceptable" management instructions.
ALSO READ: Explained: Were Female Staff Asked To 'Hide' During Hindu Group's Eiffel Tower Visit? BAPS Clarifies
Anger grew among staff of the 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 organisation 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.
At the time of the incident, BAPS said in a statement to The Associated Press: "This coordination was undertaken purely as a matter of operational courtesy and logistics to ensure a smooth visit for a large group without inconveniencing the Tower's employees or the public. It was never, at any point, intended as a request rooted in gender.''
Ariel Weil, chair of SETE, said on Tuesday he 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
What happened at the Eiffel Tower?
A delegation of about 100 people linked to the Hindu group Bochasanwasi Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha, or BAPS, made a private visit to the Eiffel Tower on Saturday. As the delegation passed through, women were asked to leave their workstations so that men could take their places," Diane Davoine, a union representative, told Reuters. "Tensions mounted over the weekend, so this morning, the employees decided to meet: first, to open a dialogue with management, and second, to ensure that women are never treated this way at the company again," she said.
Why did such a large BAPS delegation schedule a visit to the Eiffel Tower?
Notably, BAPS consecrated its first major temple in France on Sunday, near Paris. In order to commemorate the grand event, hundreds of BAPS members took a trip to Paris.
What did BAPS say on the Eiffel Tower controversy?
BAPS, in a statement, rejected the claim that it never asked to exclude female employees during its private visit. Rather, it said that the visit to the Eiffel Tower was arranged at the start of opening hours to avoid disrupting others, due to the size of its delegation. "To the best of our knowledge, at no point was anyone prevented from accessing the Eiffel Tower. Nevertheless, we sincerely apologise for any pain or inconvenience caused," the statement said. “We are deeply committed to the universal values of mutual respect and service to others,” added the statement.
(With inputs from agency)
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