Opposition Senate Leader Maxwell Burgess is calling for payroll tax breaks and easing of work permit restrictions for firms given a clean bill of health under new race reporting laws.

The Upper Chamber unanimously passed the Commission for Unity and Racial Equality (CURE) regulations yesterday after blocking them in March over lack of consultation.

Sen. Burgess said the listening process had improved the proposals and said he hoped continuing dialogue would take place otherwise business would be forced to ship out.

Businesses with more than ten employees will be required to submit form three which details employees' race, income and benefits by August 31.

The contentious form four, which the business community had begged the Government to drop for firms who were shown to be non-racist in form three, will have to be completed by August 31, 2001.

Sen. Burgess said: "Payroll tax could be reduced for good companies and the Government should set up a business awards programme where they get a plaque to say they are a class A company or class B.

"Work permits could be made easier to get.'' Sen. Burgess said the perception of widespread racism in the workplace was not necessarily the reality and that the results of the CURE survey should be publicised to tackle this misperception.

He said: "It would be a quarter inch short of criminal if money was not spent in an aggressive campaign to make sure people know what the real results are.

"We are going to trust you on this one.'' PLP Sen. David Burch agreed that the real picture was probably more optimistic than some people thought and said this was exactly why hard statistical data was needed to find out the true picture.

He said: "In looking at these regulations we should look at the glass being half full as opposed to half empty.'' He said a lot of businesses were OK on the racial front while others would have been spurred into addressing the issue because of the push from CURE.

Likening the CURE regulations to a marriage between the Government and the community, Sen. Burgess pointed out that marriage had a 50 percent failure rate.

He said: "Fifty to 60 percent of the GDP will walk out overnight if you don't adhere to your commitment.'' He attacked the Government for not answering business pleas on form four which requires information on hiring, firing and promotions.

He said: "Form three should be a watershed to decide who is playing a part.

"Those who are not should fill out forms four, five, six, seven, eight, nine and ten if that's what it takes to get it right. No right minded Bermudian would disagree.

Business reaction -- Page 3 Senators pass CURE regulations "We need to work with those companies which aren't getting it right to ensure they get it right.

"This bill lumps the good in with the bad. Let's empower those companies which are good. This will merely be a burden to those who get it right.'' Independent Sen. Walwyn Hughes also supported the regulations but said a clause which fined job applicants $500 if they refused to say what their race was went too far and could scare applicants off.

Sen. Hughes echoed objections from businesses who said form four would create a lot of work for large firms while small firms would not have the administration staff to cope.

He said he hoped the Ministry would help out. PLP Sen. Michael Scott said this was in hand.

Sen. Hughes said the CURE regulations went further than other countries such as the US, Canada and the UK despite claims that those nations had similar laws.

PLP Sen. Calvin Smith said: "People sometime think when this legislation is passed we are on our way.'' But he said the point of CURE was to ensure Bermuda was not missing out on talented people who would help the nation compete in the global workplace.

If companies were offending Sen. Smith said: "It's my hope we will resist the temptation to dictate corrective action, instead we will negotiate corrective action.'' Senate President Alf Oughton welcomed the legislation and hoped it would sort out the genuine cases of racism from those who used their race as a cop-out for their own failures.

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