Cleaners at London's School of Oriental and African Studies (Soas) will today begin a 48-hour strike in protest over "systematic discrimination" from bosses.

The workers - employed by outsourcing firm ISS - receive less sick pay and fewer holidays than other staff and are denied access to the school's pension scheme.

Managers have refused to bring the cleaning staff in-house despite a long-running campaign by public-sector union Unison.