On 3 March, elected members of The Lancet NUJ 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 at The Lancet.
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.
We will update the Bargaining Unit of significant developments during the pay negotiations.
Want to receive more detailed updates about how negotiations are progressing this year, vote on any upcoming major decisions and take part in setting our pay claim next year? Join the NUJ.
Our 2026 pay claim: an increase of 7.5% or £3,300 (whichever is higher) for all staff in the Bargaining Unit and the budgeted October 2025 ICR IIP enrolments to be paid, as previously requested by Chapel members. We also raised additional issues that have been identified as priorities by members.
During the Chapel meeting on 20 January, NUJ members agreed to not incorporate the Individual Incentive Plan (IIP) bonus in pay negotiations this year, proposing that they be paid as usual in March. The Committee informed Elsevier of this request and specified this included the individuals who were previously told they were to be enrolled on the scheme during the September 2025 ICR.
Elsevier agreed to pay the IIP in March for those currently enrolled on the scheme, but chose to bring the September 2025 ICR enrolments into the annual pay negotiations. Therefore, the Chapel added these proposed enrolments to the 2026 pay claim, with the stance that these should be considered separately to the requested pay increase.
If you are impacted by this and have any questions, please contact a Committee member or our gmail.
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 has been required to 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.
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.
Join us at Wood Street from 5pm on Thursday 9th April for a Chapel social. Non-members interested in finding out more about the union are welcome to attend.
This website is maintained by the Committee of the Lancet NUJ Chapel, independent of The Lancet Leadership Team and Elsevier.
Rep = An annually elected member of the Committee. Reps are Lancet staff who are NUJ members.