Europe29 September, 20262 min read
Eiffel Tower Director Patrick Branco Ruivo Steps Down After BAPS Visit Excludes Female Staff
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Patrick Branco Ruivo will step down as SETE chief at the end of the year. Resignation follows exclusion of female staff during a Hindu group visit to the Eiffel Tower.
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Eiffel Tower chief resigns
Patrick Branco Ruivo, director general of the Société d’Exploitation de la tour Eiffel, will step down at the end of the year after an investigation found operational failures tied to a visit by a Hindu religious group.
SETE said the failures resulted "in female staff being excluded from the visit that day, an unacceptable situation," and the company said the decision followed an investigation by an independent firm.
The Eiffel Tower closed on Sept. 7 due to a staff strike protesting what a union official described as "unacceptable" management instructions.
Management told employees that female workers should not be in contact with the delegation from Bochasanwasi Shri Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha, known as BAPS, during the Sept. 5 visit.
BAPS said in a statement to The Associated Press that the group "never requested that female employees be hidden, removed or excluded from the visit."
Strike, protests, and replies
Staff anger grew after management told employees that female workers should not be in contact with the BAPS delegation, and the dispute triggered a staff walkout that forced the Eiffel Tower to close for a day. Yaël Braun-Pivet, president of France's National Assembly, said, "I refuse to allow women to be compelled to step aside in order to meet the demands of foreign visitors." Emmanuel Grégoire, the socialist mayor of Paris, called the decision an "absurd, unjust and unacceptable decision" and ordered two separate investigations.
Ariel Weil, chair of SETE, said he requested measures and training programs promoting gender equality to be implemented. BAPS apologized for "any pain or inconvenience caused" by the incident, according to the BBC.
What changes next
SETE said its internal investigation uncovered "a series of problems and shortcomings" in the planning of official visits and the organisation of the 5 September visit that led to the exclusion of female staff. SETE acknowledged that the Hindu delegation had requested that "interactions with women" be limited, and the company said those conditions "should not have been accepted." Ariel Weil said the coming months would allow SETE to prepare for the leadership transition under the best possible conditions.
The BBC said the BAPS movement strictly separates men and women, including in temple activities and building entrances. The BBC also reported that staff at the monument said female employees were "instructed not to go through or cross certain areas while the delegation was present."