Thousands of scientists at the CSIRO are threatening to down their test tubes and lab coats in an industrial dispute with the federal government.
Employment bargaining negotiations are underway and the next meeting is April 29.
Scientists are worried about their working conditions, rights and pay.
This comes on top of anger over federal government budget cuts, cancelled research and 1300 redundancies over two years.
Staff association secretary Sam Popovski said if management did not change tack at the next meeting, scientists have voted for industrial action to commence on April 30.
This will include bans and limitations on reporting to management and face-to-face meetings.
"These bans are not designed to harm science," Mr Popovski said.
He said CSIRO staff will instead spend less time on red tape and more time on their research.
The dispute could also escalate to strike action.
Staff are not satisfied with pay increases of between zero and one per cent.
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