On Thursday, December 22, protests by dozens of union members and irate workers forced managers of the opulent La Samaritaine retail centre to act. The French luxury tycoon LVMH owns the shop.
After undergoing a 750 million euro makeover and renovation that lasted 16 years, La Samaritaine reopened in June of last year.
‘La Samaritaine is a location that symbolises prosperity. Many workers in this place are unable to purchase the goods they sell,’ according to Amar Lagha of the hard-left CGT union, who spoke to AFP.
According to the union, the protest was attended by 200–300 people.
Even after management closed the store in the morning, they could be seen standing among the displays of designer apparel, makeup, and handbags while donning red vests bearing the union’s logo.
‘Almost all of the demonstrators were not employees of la Samaritaine,’ the store’s management said in a statement. ‘For security reasons, clients and personnel were evacuated.’
France has been hit by a series of strikes in different sectors of the economy as employees push for pay hikes in the face of annual inflation of around 6.0 percent.
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