Uproar Over Removal of Female Staff from Eiffel Tower Duties
Paris:- A major international controversy has erupted over allegations that female staff members were removed from duty at the world-famous Eiffel Tower in Paris. The Bochasanwasi Shri Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha (BAPS) has now issued an official clarification regarding the incident. The organisation clarified that during the visit of its delegation, which comprised around 100 members, no ordinary visitors were prevented from entering the monument.
However, the organisation also said that if the arrangement caused any inconvenience or emotional distress to anyone, it sincerely apologises for it.
The controversy began on Saturday when a BAPS Hindu religious delegation arrived to visit the Eiffel Tower. The group had come to France to participate in the consecration ceremony of a newly built, grand Hindu temple near Paris. It is alleged that before the delegation arrived, the management removed female staff members from their positions and replaced them exclusively with male employees.
In protest against this gender-based discrimination, Eiffel Tower employees staged a strong demonstration on Monday and called an emergency meeting. Due to the strong opposition from the staff, the Eiffel Tower could not open to visitors at the scheduled time on Monday.
Following strong opposition from employee unions, SETE - the company operating the Eiffel Tower - was forced to back down. The company management acknowledged that the delegation had requested that contact with female staff be kept to a minimum; accepting this request was a serious mistake on the part of the management, and such conditions should never have been accepted. The management also formally apologised to the affected employees. Meanwhile, the staff described the incident as an attack on women's dignity and their right to equality and demanded a detailed investigation. As the matter escalated, Paris Deputy Mayor Emmanuel Grégoire ordered an impartial, high-level investigation into the entire incident.
