The NUJ Chapel at The Lancet

We’re the recognised workplace branch of the National Union of Journalists (NUJ) at The Lancet Group.
We negotiate with Elsevier on pay, holiday and working hours on behalf of the Lancet Bargaining Unit, and we support NUJ members with workplace issues throughout the year.

LATEST NEWS
The start of pay negotiations — 03/03/2026

On 3 March, elected members of the Committee representing NUJ members at The Lancet presented representatives for The Lancet Leadership Team and Elsevier HR with our 2026 pay claim. This pay claim was wholly developed and ratified by NUJ members.

We believe this is the first time in the very long history of The Lancet that staff have collectively entered formal pay negotiations with management.

Our pay claim is for an increase of 7.5% or £3,300 (whichever is higher) for all staff in the Bargaining Unit and the previously budgeted September 2025 ICR IIP enrolments to be paid. We also raised additional issues that have been identified as priorities by members.

We will update the Bargaining Unit of significant developments during the pay negotiations.

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This website is maintained by the Committee of the Lancet NUJ Chapel.

What is the Lancet NUJ Chapel?

The National Union of Journalists (NUJ) is a trade union supporting those working in media and publishing industries—not just journalists. They represent employees in a workplace, and act on their behalf to work with employers to improve workplace pay and conditions.

The Lancet NUJ Chapel is the collective body of NUJ members at The Lancet Group.

Anyone can join the NUJ and become a member of the Lancet NUJ Chapel. The Chapel represents the interests of all UK-based Elsevier employees (not just NUJ members) operating within The Lancet Group (excluding the Lancet Leadership Team and the Executive Assistant). This is known as the Bargaining Unit.

Since September, 2025, Elsevier must recognise the Lancet NUJ Chapel as representing the Bargaining Unit on the core topics of pay, holiday, and working hours. Any changes to pay and conditions negotiated by the NUJ Chapel apply to all colleagues with the Bargaining Unit. At the same time, Elsevier also recognised a separate Chapel of UK colleagues at Cell Press.

Find out more about how unions work.

Why join?

Everyone in our Bargaining Unit is affected by the outcomes of union negotiations, but only members shape them.
Your voice and your vote: Members set priorities for changing pay and conditions, raise and discuss broader issues, and vote on whether to accept offers from the Employer.
Support when it matters: A rep can support you through workplace processes (e.g., performance, grievance, disciplinary).
Specialist NUJ backing: Access to NUJ advice and support, including legal services where appropriate.
Strength in numbers: The more members we have (and the higher the turnout), the stronger we are in negotiations.

Staff in unionised workplaces in the UK are better paid, happier, and more satisfied than non-unionised workplaces. Join the NUJ today and have your say.

Key terms

NUJ = National Union of Journalists.

Chapel = The organisational group of NUJ members in a specific workplace.

Committee = The NUJ members annually elected to represent the Chapel and carry out Chapel functions. There are eight Committee roles. Committee members are volunteers, but have some protected time to do union work.

Rep = An annually elected member of the Committee. Reps are Lancet staff who are NUJ members.

Bargaining Unit = all UK Lancet Group colleagues, apart from the Leadership Team and the Executive Assistant. The Chapel represents all those in the Bargaining Unit (NUJ members and non-NUJ members).

Pay claim = the annual formal request, from the Chapel to Elsevier, for a salary increase for the Bargaining Unit.

Collective bargaining = the process of the Chapel collecting and organising the opinions of its members and negotiating with the employer on topics related to workplace conditions.

Collective agreement = the outcome of collective bargaining (ie, the changes in pay and other items agreed between the NUJ Chapel and the employer). The changes in the collective agreement apply to everyone in the Bargaining Unit.

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