McCluskey will attend discussions with petrol distributors at the Acas headquarters in London following a four-day break over Easter. The Unite leader is an experienced negotiator and led talks to end the British Airways cabin crew dispute in 2010.
McCluskey will be joined by shop stewards from the ranks of Unite's 2,000 tanker driver members, with six of the seven haulier companies involved in the dispute also attending.
Unite is seeking minimum standards over safety and training, as well as an agreement on transferring drivers' pensions. The fuel distribution companies are adamant that national-level wage bargaining is not on the table, but Unite is seeking a floor on pay for drivers.
Last week, Marshall-James, an employee relations firm, said Unite's stance was akin to Tesco, Asda and Sainsbury's "agreeing to unified pay and working conditions for shop assistants". Unite argues that the outsourcing of petrol delivery by major oil groups and retailers has stoked relentless pressure on costs, resulting in declining safety standards and training by some operators.
Unite must take industrial action by 23 April to maintain its strike mandate, which saw drivers at five of the seven major fuel distributors vote in favour of walkouts.
Under the terms of the 1992 Trade Union and Labour Relations Act, Unite must give seven days' notice of strike action, which in effect sets a deadline of 16 April on naming walkout dates. Unite's fuel tanker drivers supply petrol to 90% of the UK's forecourts.
After two days of talks last week, Acas said the discussions had been "constructive with the parties positively engaged and committed to the process".
