Germany’s chemicals and pharmaceuticals sector kicked off the new pay and conditions round with talks in Frankenthal for the Rhineland-Palatinate region on Monday. The Rhineland-Palatinate round forms the start of negotiations across nine regions in Germany, with the IG BCE putting forward a demand for a 7% increase for around 68,500 workers in the region. The first round of talks at federal level is set for Thuringia on May 14 and 15. A total of 585,000 workers are employed in the sector in Germany. Chief negotiator for the employers in Rhineland-Palatinate, Hendrik Müller, said on Monday: “T…