Maintenance workers on London's underground rail network went on strike yesterday at the start of a wave of industrial action which unions said will cripple the system, bringing misery to the city's commuters.

About 200 Alstom-Metro staff on the Jubilee and Northern tube lines began their action over pay late on Sunday evening, causing some disruptions and delays during yesterday's morning rush hour, the Rail Maritime and Transport union said.

Transport for London said most journeys would be disrupted during the strike, but said it intended to run as many trains and keep open as many stations as possible.

However, it said it was encouraging people to use bikes, buses, and boats instead of the underground, while a marshalled taxi service will be run tomorrow at the capital's five major rail terminals.

The RMT accused London Underground of "playing fast and loose" with safety, saying a circular had gone around appealing for volunteers to try and run tube services, regardless of whether they had the necessary operational licences.

"There do not appear to be any corners that London Underground are not prepared to cut in order to bulldoze through their lethal cocktail of job and safety cuts," RMT general secretary Bob Crow said in a statement.

TfL said it had sought volunteers to hand out information to passengers, not to carry out skilled jobs.

The strikes are the first in a series planned by unions. Maintenance workers are due to walk out again on October 2, November 1 and 27, and joint 24-hour strikes by TSSA and RMT staff are planned for October and November.