Ahead of the resumed talks on the vexed issue of petrol price, organized labour is meeting right now at the Labour House in Abuja, The Eagle Online can authoritatively report.
Sources close to the Nigeria Labour Congress and the Trade Union Congress confirmed that the 18-man delegation that attended the meeting with the government team at the Aso Rock Presidential Villa is a part of the meeting.
The President of the NLC, Comrade Abdulwahed Omar; and the President of the TUC, Comrade Peter Esele, are at the ongoing meeting.
As exclusively reported by The Eagle Online at about 12.15 am today, the talks between labour and the government team is to resume today.
Sources close to the government team, led by the President of the Senate, who is regarded as the Negotiator-In-Chief, Senator David Mark, said the team is on standby.
It is waiting for signals from the labour team to assemble for the meeting.
It was learnt that the labour team will head to the venue of the meeting once the meeting at the Labour House is over.
The Eagle Online, however, gathered that it will be almost near impossible for labour to secure a reversal of the pump price of fuel to N65.
A source in organized labour told The Eagle Online that “the way things are, it will be near impossible to go back there with the same position we went yesterday.
“It will appear we are not ready to negotiate.
“But what we won’t accept is the proposed N120. We won’t even accept N100.
“It has to be lower than that. In fact, it has to be far lower than that.”
As exclusively reported by The Eagle Online this morning, the government team has made up its mind to go ahead with the announcement of a new price by President Goodluck Jonathan in a nationwide address if labour does not shift its position for a reversal to N65.
A meeting, which lasted almost all; night, was held with Jonathan by the government team to the talks.
The team included state governors, ministers, the leadership of the National Assembly and other senior government officials.
It was gathered that the government team is also meeting in Mark’s official residenc in Apo, Abuja right now.
Sources told The Eagle Online that the resumed talks will likely hold in Mark’s official residence.