More than a million low-paid Australians who depend on the nation's award system to set their wages should get a 79¢-an-hour wage rise, the ACTU has told the national industrial relations commission.

Appearing before the Fair Work Commission, ACTU assistant secretary Tim Lyons said low-paid workers' wages had declined in recent years.

The union body wants a $30-a-week wage rise for Australia's lowest-paid workers, most of whom are women.

The move is opposed by business groups who say the pay claim is reckless and the wage rise should be $5.80 a week.

Mr Lyons said it was time to stop the decline for the 1.54 million Australians who relied on awards or the national minimum wage to set their pay rate.