Etu organiser Ann Galloway, of Dunedin, said most of the support workers employed by Idea Services, the operational arm of IHC, had voted to strike after Easter to protest the lack of progress in their pay talks.
About 99% of its southern members at Idea Services would strike, Mrs Galloway said.
The 152 members in Otago were from Balclutha, Dunedin and Oamaru.
The 135 members in Southland were from Invercargill and Gore.
Four members from Gore refused to strike, she said.
The members were ''really angry'' Idea Services had refused to give a pay increase, she said.
Etu care and support services industry co-ordinator Alastair Duncan said 98% of the more than 1500 union members across New Zealand voted in favour of striking by secret ballot.
''Support workers at Idea do a caring and professional job of supporting New Zealanders with intellectual disabilities. Sadly, they have had little support from their employer.
''For six months, we have been asking Idea to make a series of modest changes to the collective agreement around issues of job security, consultation and health and safety.
''Not only has Idea yet to make a single substantive offer, they have so far refused to consider any pay rise whatsoever.''
Details of the strike will be released next week, he said.
IHC human resources general manager Ross Maden said Idea Services has been negotiating with Etu for two new collective employment agreements since October last year.
The two parties had failed to reach an agreement.
''We appreciate this has created uncertainty and is unsettling for our staff.''
The pay equity issue was a major reason for the delay.
The Government and unions had yet to reach a settlement for pay equity across the disability sector.
''This is frustrating our attempts to settle our collective employment agreements.
''It is disappointing that strike action is indicated but we are hopeful that the pay equity settlement will better recognise caregivers and their valuable work.''
IHC was pleased the Government accepted the recommendations of the joint working group on pay equity but further work was needed to determine the details of pay equity and the level of funding providers would receive following the settlement.
''We remain hopeful that a pay increase is coming and remain available to continue the negotiations with the union at any time.''
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Didn't take them very long to decide to raise the retirement age but it seems to have taken them well over a year so far to figure out how much somebody is worth when doing a critical job like aged care disability support. If the government was able to vote on its own pay rise and how much they think that they should be worth I bet you it would have been all taken care of in a matter of hours not years