A week of strikes are planned by immigration staff beginning at international airports in Cairns, Perth and Darwin. Walk-offs are also scheduled in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane from Monday.

The Community and Public Sector Union (CPSU) national secretary Nadine Flood told the ABC that staff were protesting a Federal Government bargaining policy, which she said would affect allowances compensating workers for weeks at sea, firearms, fitness and working conditions.

"Immigration and Border Force workers are facing the loss of up to $8000 a year from their take-home pay under the Federal Government's draconian bargaining policy," she said.

"These hard-working men and women undertake important, difficult and sometimes dangerous jobs on behalf of their community.

"The Government and the department have had more than a year to sit down with the union and work out a fair deal that protects the rights, conditions and take home pay of these hardworking people.

"The industrial action is a direct response to the fact that a Government is just not listening to its workers."

Customs and immigration staff previously walked off the job in a round of strikes in June and July - including one mass walk-off of about 2000 staff across every major airport in the country.