London’s underground rail network came to a standstill on Monday due to a strike, forcing many people to work from home or find alternative ways to commute.
Some greeted by shuttered Tube stations chose to run, cycle or catch a river taxi. Those who tried to take the bus found most were extremely overcrowded.
Transport for London’s website crashed as commuters tried to work out what was going on. For many, it coincided with their first week back at work or school after summer holidays.
One commenter on X pointed out that, due to the feasibility of remote working, the strike was actually affecting key workers and minimum wage workers the most.
Members of the Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) union including drivers, signallers and maintenance workers launched a series of strikes over pay and conditions.
The action started on Sunday but the biggest impact was expected on Monday morning, and will likely last until Friday.
TFL warned there would be few or no services between Monday and Thursday.
Employees formed picket lines outside Tube stations on Monday.
There will also be no Docklands Light Railway services on Tuesday and Thursday because of a strike by RMT members in a separate pay dispute.
The Elizabeth Line, which operates trains to Heathrow Airport, and the overground rail network will operate as normal, but some stations will see disruption, and TfL said trains were likely to be extremely busy.
TfL has offered a 3.4 per cent pay rise, which it described as “fair”, and said it cannot afford to meet the RMT’s demand for a cut in the working week. The RMT union said the dispute centred on pay, fatigue management, shift patterns and a reduction in the working week. Staff typically work 35 hours
Nick Dent, London Underground’s director of customer operations, said union demands for a cut in the 35-hour week were “simply unaffordable” and would cost hundreds of millions of pounds.
The last Tube-wide strike was three years ago, over pay and pensions, but Mr Dent said this week’s action will be different because separate groups of workers will walk out on different days.
“It will be very damaging for us,” he added.
An RMT representative said: “We are not going on strike to disrupt small businesses or the public.
“This strike is going ahead because of the intransigent approach of TfL management and their refusal to even consider a small reduction in the working week in order to help reduce fatigue and the ill-health effects of long-term shift work on our members.
“We believe a shorter working week is fair and affordable, particularly when you consider TfL has a surplus of £166 million last year and a £10 billion annual operating budget.”
Kate Nicholls, chief executive of UKHospitality, estimated there would be a £110 million impact on its members due to lost trade, with the overall economic impact on London twice that. She said it was having a “devastating impact” on the busy first week back to work and school.
Ruth Duston, CEO of London HQ, which represents several thousand business in the UK capital, said due to the strikes hospitality venues, retailers and the night-time economy in central London "face severe losses at a time when they can least afford setbacks".
Conservative MP for Bexley and Sidcup, Louie French, said on X the Mayor, Sadiq Khan, was “missing in action” as he was still to comment by 9am. Instead, he had posted a video about redevelopment in Grosvenor Square.
As well as disruption for commuters and tourists, the strikes have prompted British rock band Coldplay to reschedule two concerts at Wembley Stadium this week, while US singer Post Malone also postponed his two shows in London until later in the month.
