Consultant doctors in England will stage a two-day strike beginning 25 November at 06:59 GMT, the British Medical Association announced after failed pay negotiations with the government.
The strike will operate on Christmas Day cover terms, meaning only emergency care will be staffed. This will have major impact on routine and planned hospital services.
The walkout follows a July vote by BMA members in favour of strike action. Negotiations with the government took place over the past month but did not resolve the dispute.
Consultants received a 3.5% pay increase this year. The BMA argues this does not address a quarter-century of decline. Once inflation is taken into account, consultant pay has fallen by a quarter over the past 17 years, the union states.
The BMA is seeking a reduction in the standard working week from 40 to 35 hours, higher pay for out-of-hours work, and changes to pensions including greater flexibility over when they can be taken.
Average consultant earnings top 150,000 pounds a year. Basic pay starts at 113,500 pounds, rising to 150,500 pounds for the most experienced. Many earn tens of thousands more in extra payments and awards.
In the strike ballot, 76% of consultants who took part voted in favour of strike action. Just over half of eligible BMA members participated, though the government notes this represents only around one in five consultants employed by the NHS in England, as nearly half are not BMA members.
Dr Helen Neary and Dr Shanu Datta, co-chairs of the BMA consultants committee, said negotiations had occurred in "good faith" but "time-and-time again ministers have kicked the can down the road". They added that consultants take their responsibilities seriously but the profession "have had enough".
Health Secretary Yvette Cooper said the strike announcement was "disappointing" after "constructive discussions" with the BMA. She called strike action "irresponsible" and said it would "place the health service under even greater pressure".
Consultants last took strike action in England in 2023.