Workers at the Louvre Museum voted Monday to strike over working conditions and staffing concerns, forcing the famed Paris institution to close its doors and turning visitors away.

The CFDT union said the decision was made during a meeting of roughly 400 employees on Monday morning, with workers voting to strike for the day. As a result, the world’s most-visited museum did not open as scheduled. A notice posted on the Louvre’s website stated simply that “the museum is closed for the moment.”

The strike marks another setback for the iconic museum, which has faced scrutiny since a daytime jewelry heist in October exposed security vulnerabilities.

“It’s really sad, because I was really looking forward to this,” said Lindsey Hall, a visitor from Sacramento, California, who had planned to tour the museum with a friend. “It’s one of those life experiences you crave.”

Calling the Louvre’s holdings “an epic collection of art,” Hall said she could also understand the workers’ frustrations. “If you are the person that works in the museum, day after day after day, I can see how that can be.”

The strike followed talks last week between labor unions and government officials, including Culture Minister Rachida Dati. Union leaders said the discussions failed to fully address concerns about staffing shortages and long-term funding at the museum, which welcomes millions of visitors annually.

“Visiting the museum has become an obstacle course,” said Alexis Fritche, general secretary of the CFDT’s culture branch.

Employees say the October heist highlighted long-standing issues related to overcrowding, understaffing and outdated security infrastructure. During that incident, thieves reportedly used a basket lift to access the building’s façade, forced open a window, smashed display cases and escaped with pieces of the French crown jewels.

A Senate inquiry released last week found that the suspects narrowly evaded capture and cited broken cameras, obsolete equipment, understaffed control rooms and poor coordination that initially sent police to the wrong location.

In a statement, the CFDT union said workers are calling for increased staffing for security and visitor services, improved working conditions, stable long-term funding for the museum and leadership that “truly listens to staff.”