Senior scientists and engineers at QinetiQ, the privatised defence research agency, have voted overwhelmingly to strike for the first time in 28 years.
Members of Prospect, the moderate Whitehall union that represents nearly 2,000 of the 8,000 staff, voted 72% in favour of industrial action after the company imposed a pay freeze. Scientists last voted for industrial action in 1981 when Margaret Thatcher's government refused to agree to a new pay deal.
Prospect national secretary David Luxton said the ballot demonstrated the strength of feeling among members over the pay freeze.
"We will finalise our plan of action following a meeting of all QinetiQ unions on June 8. Our overriding focus will be to persuade the company that there needs to be a genuine dialogue on the way forward if we are to avoid disruption to the work of the company in the coming months."
QinetiQ chief executive Graham Love said: "We are continuing to seek a meeting with the trades unions with a view to resolving this matter.
"Our decision not to award a blanket inflationary annual pay increase is the right one in the current economic circumstances. As announced at our preliminary results just last week, overall our UK business failed to grow last year."
The company said that although a large majority voted for industrial action, only just over half the scientists took part.
Unite and GMB members are balloting their members. The more militant Public and Commercial Services Union failed to get enough of its members to vote.
The agency's main centres are at Farnborough in Hampshire, Malvern in Worcestershire, and Boscombe Down in Wiltshire. Their work includes a major programme upgrading Chinook helicopters.