The ACTU president is set to address a minimum wage case for the first time in decades.

Michele O'Neil will this week become the first ACTU president since Bob Hawke in the 1970s to address a minimum wage case before the industrial umpire.

Ms O'Neil will present the case for a six per cent rise (about $43 a week), to a Fair Work Commission hearing in Sydney on Wednesday.

“The minimum wage should not just be enough to stop you starving, it should be enough to provide for a decent life for all full-time workers,” she said in a statement.

Labor says if its wins the upcoming federal election, it would look into creating a “living wage”.

“The Morrison government has attacked workers and done nothing to lift their wages for six years. We need to change the government to change the rules for low income workers,” Ms O'Neil said.

The business sector wants the minimum wage lifted by just two per cent this year, marking an increase of about $14.40 per week to the current level of $719.20.

Business lobbies say a six per cent hike would destroy jobs and threaten economic growth.