NUJ issues notice of ballot at The Lancet over pay
Members at The Lancet NUJ Chapel have overwhelmingly rejected the company's latest pay offer, with the union now having sent notice to ballot for industrial action.
Management presented two offers to our members, both of which were structured as a two-year pay deal. More than three-quarters (78%) voted against the first offer and 87% rejected the second on a turnout of 92%.
Despite the chapel's willingness to broaden negotiations beyond pay, the employer declined to engage.
The rejected offers followed an extensive period of negotiations with management, culminating in a final meeting attended by both the NUJ General Secretary and the Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service (Acas).
The outcome represented only a marginal improvement on previous proposals. Members therefore concluded that it fell well short of addressing the fundamental issue at the heart of this dispute: more than five years of declining pay in real terms.
For years, staff at The Lancet have continued to deliver world-leading medical publishing while absorbing rising workloads, increasing expectations and sustained inflation which have impacted their living standards. This has steadily reduced 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.
The chapel believes the current offers fail to acknowledge this cumulative loss. A modest increase does little to repair years of pay erosion or provide confidence that pay will once again keep pace with the cost of living.
The Lancet Chapel Committee said:
"The chapel remains committed to reaching a negotiated settlement, but the company must now recognise the strength of feeling among staff and improve their offer. Elsevier can afford to make an offer that begins to restore years of declining real terms pay and better reflects the value our members deliver every day. The chapel remains united, strong and resolute in rejecting proposals that fall short of meaningful progress in order to secure a fair pay deal."