Staff at prestigious medical journal set to strike over pay

Union members at the most well-known medical journal are set to strike next week over an “unacceptable” pay offer.

The strike action, planned for 22 September, marks the first time staff have organised to walk out in The Lancet’s 200-year history. The Lancet Group, now owned by the Elsevier publishing conglomerate, comprises 29 monthly specialty titles, in addition to the flagship weekly medical journal that was established in 1823.

In a ballot of National Union of Journalists (NUJ) members last month, 94.5 per cent voted in support of strike action on a turnout of 87.5 per cent. The ballot followed members’ rejection of the company’s pay offer after negotiations with management.

According to the union, members are already holding action short of a strike this week and plan to again from 23 to 30 September.

The union said: “Staff at The Lancet have absorbed rising workloads, increasing expectations and sustained inflation in recent years. This has led to a reduction in the real-terms value of their salaries, leaving many employees significantly worse off than they were five years ago despite their growing experience, expertise and responsibilities.”

Meanwhile, Huda Elmi, magazine organiser at the NUJ, said: “Our members would much rather be producing valued science journalism and scholarship, instead of having to stand on a picket.”

She added: “This action is necessary; it’s unacceptable that real-terms pay has stagnated over several years while workloads and living costs have significantly increased.”

On the planned action, an Elsevier spokesperson said: “We respect our colleagues’ right to take this step, and during this period, our priority is to support our authors, reviewers and readers by maintaining the high-quality services they rely on. We remain committed to reaching a sustainable agreement that is acceptable to all parties and that allows us to continue investing in our people, our journal portfolio and author services while delivering value to our communities over the long term. 

“Across Elsevier, we reaffirm our continued commitment to providing competitive and equitable compensation practices for all colleagues in every country in which we operate."

In a letter to management, NUJ staff have highlighted Elsevier’s high profits: the company recorded a £1 billion operating profit in 2025, translating into a 38 per cent profit margin. Staff also point out that article processing charges (APCs) at The Lancet have risen from £3,714 ($5,000) to £7,095 ($9,550) since 2020 – a 91 per cent increase, even as staff pay rises have been “consistently below inflation”.

As a result, “these staff have been reluctantly forced to unionise, ballot over pay, and prepare to strike,” the letter says.

“At a time when misinformation and disinformation, malicious use of artificial intelligence, and unscrupulous publishing practices threaten research integrity and undermine trust in science, the need for dedicated professional staff at medical journals is stronger than ever,” the staff concluded.

frances.jones@timeshighereducation.com