‘Medical journals are dependent on goodwill’: Why staff at The Lancet are going on strike
An increasing number of staff at leading academic journals are unionising and taking industrial action.
Founded in 1823, The Lancet has seen many firsts — the first reports on using antiseptics in surgery, the first use of the term shell shock, the first case of an IVF birth and the first clinical descriptions of patients with COVID-19 in Wuhan, China.
Last month, it scored another — the first strike by its employees.
Staff walked off the job on 22 September and will do so again from 19 to 21 October.
Based in the UK, the staff are responsible for the editing of The Lancet’s 30 journals as well as publishing of physical copies, marketing and communications work.
