The Eiffel Tower has been closed after workers walked out in support of the unions strike against the government 's austerity measures . The nationwide strike follows action by French air traffic controllers which involved a two-day walkout starting yesterday . Now workers at the most visited paid monument in the world have joined the walkout in a solidarity with the thousands taking to the streets across the country in union-led protests against public spending cuts . Signs were placed at the foot of the Eiffel Tower warning that the landmark was closed due to strike action . There are an average 25,000 ascents at the tower every day , and at €15.50 ( £11.25 ) a ticket , the closure will cost Paris tourism almost €387,500 ( £280,000 ) in entry fees , excluding gifts bought and food and drink sales . Speaking to The Local , union representative Stephane Dieu said that '90 per cent ' of staff had voted to strike and that signs had been placed at the foot of the tower to ensure 'tourists do n't hang around for nothing . ' The marches nationwide with a main rally in Paris are a test of how much support unions can muster over spending curbs which they claim undermine public service and purchasing power to the detriment of the euro zone 's second-largest economy . Charles de Gaulle Airport , pictured , and other French hubs are being affected by strike action . Local media said staff who man Paris 's Eiffel Tower would keep it shut it until 6pm local time as part of the strike . Representative of CGT union , one of the unions who voted to strike , Stéphane God , told AFP that the Tower is expected to be shut for 18 hours in total . Unions said they expected tens of thousands of marchers to join the main rally in Paris by the end of the day . The strike by air controllers has been called because the French air traffic union says their controllers are expected to retire later than their counterparts elsewhere in western Europe . The walk-out is one of a series planned this month , with more industrial action from April 16 to 18 and another walk-out between April 29 and May 2 . Plans for the original strike on March 25 were suspended after the fatal Germanwings crash in the French Alps . The Eiffel Tower is due to reopen to the public at around 6pm this evening . Local reports claim turnout across the country is mixed , with just 1,000 taking to the streets in Strabourg , while Toulouse reported 8,000 attending demonstrations . 'We are here ... to get a change of direction from this government which claims it is left-wing , ' said CGT official Pierre Tommasi of a march which included hospital , research and transport sector staff . As well as being the most popular paid-for landmark in the world , the Eiffel Tower is also the most popular spot in the world for a selfie picture . Tourist attraction site AttractionTix analysed social media to find mentions of travel hotspots alongside the world 'selfie ' , and have compiled a list of the most popular places to pose for a self-taken self portrait . At the top of the list was the Eiffel Tower in Paris , with more than 10,700 posts found so far in 2015 , ahead of Disney World in Orlando , Florida and the world 's tallest building - the Burj Khalifa - in Dubai .
Strike actions comes a day after French air traffic controllers walked out . Workers joining forces to stand up against governments austerity plans . Score: 6