WIESBADEN (dpa-AFX) - The collective bargaining partners in the German chemical and pharmaceutical industry are under time pressure to find a solution to their conflict. On Wednesday (1 p.m.), the Mining, Chemical and Energy Industrial Union (IG BCE) and the employers' association BAVC will meet in Bad Breisig on the Rhine for two days of consultations.

The negotiations, in which the employers have not yet presented an offer in three rounds so far, are taking place shortly before the end of the peace obligation, which expires on June 30. Warning strikes would then be possible. Mediation could also be started beforehand.

The IG BCE had already called on its members to take part in protests outside of working hours at several large chemical sites last week. The union wants a seven percent pay rise and, for the first time in a large-scale collective agreement, regulations that put union members in a better position than other employees. According to the IG BCE, measurable benefits could include more time off, more money or better social and health protection for union members./ceb/DP/jha