The Bermuda Employers? Council (BEC) has raised concerns over new requirements to submit salary details of individual employees to Government.

Some companies have boycotted the survey after fearing it breaches confidentiality agreements and was a step too far.

The new fact trawl comes in the annual Employment Survey which the Statistics Department mails to all employers every year.

For the first time the survey will require employers to report on the gross annual income and entitlements of each employee.

Information normally collected from forms from the Commission for Unity and Racial Equality (CURE) asking about race and nationality has also been added.

BEC executive director Andrea Mowbray said: ?There was a great deal of concern from our members, we took it back to the Department of Statistics who stated due to the fact the survey was already out there they weren?t inclined to change it.

?They did not seem to be too swayed by the concerns of business.

?There was a great amount of concern about why they required this information. As to how many companies have or have not submitted that information I don?t know. It was due on Monday.?

She said 80 to 90 BEC members had been in touch to raise concerns.

?They were very concerned about the confidentiality issue between them and their employees and what the information will be used for.

?The statistics department has not given a satisfactory answer. They just basically say it will help them put together more accurate statistics.?

The Chamber of Commerce ran an information seminar on the new forms said Ms Mowbray but that issue had not been focused on and now businesses were shocked about the new questions. She said it was up to each company to advise their employees about the new survey but she doubted whether many workers knew their bosses were being required to pass the information on. ?In any company where there is a confidentiality agreement. We advise them to check with their legal counsel to make sure they are not in breach.

?I am aware of a few companies who did not submit information because they were not comfortable with it.?

Ms Mowbray said salary information had been sought in the census but at least with that the individual themselves was giving it rather than their company. ?Personally I didn?t answer that and no-one came after me.?

She said businesses had not been consulted about the new requirements

?We don?t object to the two surveys being combined but they were never so in-depth as to ask for salary information by individual name.?

She said the US tax authorities sought that sort of information from individuals but she was unaware of any jurisdiction like Bermuda that went that far.

?It?s adding one more layer of administrative burden on businesses in Bermuda.

?It?s another layer of intrusiveness. It?s survey after survey, they are killing us with surveys these days but we are not sure what they are required for.?

Although the forms don?t stipulate salaries down to the last cent the bands are very narrow, said Ms Mowbray.