The chief executive of the organization overseeing the Eiffel Tower will resign by year-end following an incident where female employees were excluded during a visit by a Hindu group in Paris. Patrick Branco Ruivo, the general director of Société d’Exploitation de la Tour Eiffel, will step down after an independent investigation revealed operational deficiencies during the September 5 visit. The company acknowledged the exclusion of female staff as unacceptable, prompting Ruivo’s decision to leave.
The iconic Eiffel Tower, drawing seven million visitors annually, faced closure on September 7 due to a staff strike protesting perceived unacceptable management directives. Tensions rose when management instructed that female employees should avoid contact with the delegation from Bochasanwasi Shri Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha (BAPS), a global religious and civic organization within the Swaminarayan sect of Hinduism celebrating the inauguration of a traditional Hindu temple in Paris.
BAPS clarified that they did not request the exclusion of female employees during the visit and emphasized that their monks’ spiritual practices do not mandate such exclusions. In response, Ariel Weil, the company’s chairman, announced plans for gender equality measures and training programs. This incident is not the first time the 137-year-old landmark has faced closure due to labor disputes, as it was previously shut down for six days in February 2024 over maintenance and wage-related issues.