The Louvre has settled its long-running dispute with staff unions, signing an agreement on Thursday that ends months of strike threats at the Paris museum. The deal arrives as nationwide protests are planned across France for Saturday, but it removes at least one of the country's most visible labour standoffs.

The confrontation began in December, in the months after a daytime robbery the previous year in which crown jewels worth more than $100 million were taken from the museum. Unions representing Louvre staff walked out over poor working conditions, too few personnel, and the way a major renovation was being handled. The stoppages shut the museum entirely for four days and partly for another four, while unions kept a formal notice in place that would have allowed them to halt work again at any point.

Under the new agreement the museum will recruit 50 additional security staff in 2027, rising to roughly 100 new hires in total by 2028, and will improve pay for some categories of workers, including a monthly increase of €50 for security staff. A representative of the CGT union said having more staff on surveillance duty would help deter criminals from targeting the institution, while the museum described the signing as a positive step.

The Louvre is meanwhile raising funds for a renovation costing more than $1 billion, covering security upgrades, repairs to ageing infrastructure, and a separate new entrance and gallery for the Mona Lisa. Unions have asked for a meeting on how the building works are managed and prioritised, saying they still have little visibility on the safety and security plan announced in November 2025. The museum's former president, Laurence des Cars, stepped down after staff criticised her management style and spending priorities, and her successor, Christophe Leribault, appears to have eased some of the tension.