LONDON – Rush-hour commuters faced chaos yesterday as staff on the London Underground train network staged a five-day strike, shutting stations and forcing people to work from home or use alternative modes of transport.

Thousands queued to try and get on crammed buses while others reluctantly walked or cycled.
Transport for London (TfL), which manages the Underground, also known as the Tube, warned there would be little or no service between yesterday and Thursday as a result of the first major strike in more than two years.

Lauren (53) a construction sector admin worker, told AFP she was having to walk a couple of kilometres to work in central London instead of catching her usual Tube train.
“It’s a real inconvenience. I’m not sympathetic (to train drivers). 

They should get back to work,” she said.
The RMT trade union called the strike on the Tube  which carries up to five million passengers a day  as they battle to secure better pay and conditions.

Drivers are striking along with signalling and maintenance workers after having rejected TfL’s proposal for a 3.4% pay rise.
Workers are also demanding a reduction in their hours.
“We are not going on strike to disrupt small businesses or the public,” said an RMT spokesman.
“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,” he added.
TfL said it was “bitterly disappointed” that the strikes were going ahead.
“We have been clear that their demand for a reduction in the working week is unaffordable and impractical,” said Claire Mann, TfL’s Chief Operating Officer.
Concert organisers were forced to postpone two shows by American singer Post Malone, scheduled for Sunday and yesterday at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
“Without a Tube service, it’s impossible to get people to the concert and home again safely,” Live Nation UK posted on X.  – Nampa/AFP