London strikes by teachers and council workers are adding to the government's industrial woes.

Amid reports that Downing Street is to appoint a ministerial "troubleshooter" to keep the lid on public sector pay claims, the teaching unions and Unison are staging walkouts across the capital.

Tuesday's one-day strikes have closed schools and shut down local authority services across the city.

Both disputes are over London weighting allowances as concern grows over key public sector workers being priced out of the capital by soaring property prices and the high cost of living.

Teachers are demanding £6000 for working in inner London, £4500 for those working in outer London and £2500 for fringe areas.

"The one-day strike action is to demonstrate the growing anger of teachers in the London and the fringe allowance areas and to bring pressure to bear on the government to pay our teachers properly," said a spokesman for the union.

Teachers will be joined for a march and rally by members of the NASUWT, Labour MP Jeremy Corbyn and Mick Shaw from the Fire Brigades Union.

The NUT defended its move, arguing that its second day of action this year was necessary to highlight the growing problem of classrooms hit by teacher shortages.

"Members have voted for the one-day strike, without pay, to alert parents and the public generally to the damage inflicted on pupils and students by teacher shortages and the massive turnover of teachers," said the spokesman.

The action is also backed by the NASUWT. The union's general secretary, Eamonn O'Kane, argues that teachers should be given some of the cost of living allowances enjoyed by police officers.

"The one-day strike is a call for an increase in London weighting as well as other measures such as access to affordable housing and help with public transport," he said.

"These allowances are available to the police to a total of £6111 and have gone a long way to turning round the force's recruitment problem."

Charles Clarke remains unmoved by the walkout.

"We continue to deliver on pay not because of threats of strikes but because we value the work that teachers do," he said.

"We've increased the London weighting by over 35 per cent since 1997. A new teacher starting in 1997 has seen their pay go up by 50 per cent. Striking achieves nothing but damage to pupils, parents and teachers themselves."

"Striking is simply not the answer and serves only to damage pupils' education and undermine the teaching profession. It does not help their argument in any way at all."

Local education employers have expressed disappointment at the strike action

Councillor Deirdre Krymer, spokesman for the Association of London Government Education Panel, warned the strike "will cause disruption to the education of at least half a million children as 50 per cent of London schools are set to close".

"The London weighting for teachers rose by 30 per cent in April 2001. All teachers received a 3.5 per cent pay rise in April, including a further increase in their London weighting," she said.

Unison is "pushing Londoners to fund another wage rise for council workers - just weeks after they got a generous pay boost" claim council bosses.

A one day walkout comes nine weeks after council workers accepted a national pay settlement delivering between 7.7 and 11 per cent targeted at low paid workers.

Unison workers are demanding a £4000 London weighting - a move that the Association of London Government believes would add £90 onto council tax bills across the capital.

"London councils will struggle to pay for the recently agreed pay rise for council workers across the UK. This will give workers a 7.7 and 11 per cent boost over two years. London authorities simply can't afford to give workers a second rise," said councillor Ann John, chairman of the employers' side of the Greater London Provincial Council.

"Striking is not the answer. The previous strikes in May, June, July, October and November didn't find the missing millions needed to meet these demands. I am disappointed that the unions have chosen to strike again this month."