Nov. 27 (Bloomberg) -- Unions representing French museum workers are threatening to extend and widen a strike that has kept Paris’s Pompidou Center of modern art shut all week.

Seven unions sent a joint letter to the Culture Ministry yesterday warning that they will start a strike Dec. 2 at tourist attractions including the Louvre and Versailles Palace if the government proceeds with planned job cuts, Kamal Hesni, a representative at the CFDT union, said in a telephone interview.

The Pompidou Center, whose 5.5 million visitors last year makes it the second most-visited museum in Paris after the Louvre’s 8.5 million, has been on strike since Nov. 24. Unions say the government’s plans to replace only one out of every two retiring civil servants will cripple French museums, as will its plan to cut some subsidies.

The move could hurt hundreds of businesses, stores and restaurants that depend on tourists in French cities including Paris, the world’s most-visited city. The non-replacement of one out of every two retirees, designed to shrink the state and cut the budget deficit, was a campaign pledge of President Nicolas Sarkozy in his 2007 election.

“The Pompidou Center, like numerous other public establishments, is on the edge of financial paralysis,” a release by the unions said Nov. 24. Workers voted today to continue their strike for at least another 24 hours, Hesni said.

A spokeswoman for Culture Minister Frederic Mitterrand said the ministry had no immediate comment.

‘Total Shutdown’

“If we don’t get some response from the ministry, we risk heading toward a total shutdown of French museums,” Roger Martinez, a union representative at Force Ouvriere, said in a telephone interview.

The Pompidou Center, designed by Italian architect Renzo Piano and Britain’s Richard Rogers and often called “Beaubourg” after its neighborhood, has about 1,100 employees. Unions say many have worked there since its 1977 opening and are due to retire in coming years.

The Museum of Decorative Arts, which is in the same building as the Louvre, although run separately, has also been on strike this week. The Louvre is the world’s most visited museum.

To contact the reporter on this story: Gregory Viscusi in Paris at gviscusi@Bloomberg.net.

Last Updated: November 27, 2009 07:29 EST