Job applicants will not have to reveal their race on forms to prospective employers under the new Commission for Unity and Racial Equality laws.

There have been fears that new laws designed to promote equal opportunities could lead to some candidates not getting an interview because of the colour of their skin.

But Minister of Development, Opportunity and Government Services, Terry Lister said that those trying for new jobs will only be asked to fill out one of the new race forms at the interview.

This would ensure that no one was denied an interview on the basis of their race.

The minister said: "There will be no issue about the employer seeing the form before offering an interview to the applicant.'' He explained that in Bermuda most applicants who were to be interviewed for the job were telephoned for an interview and would be asked when they arrived to fill out a CURE form.

This would then be used as a record which could be sent to the CURE offices as data collection.

Mr. Lister was talking to The Royal Gazette about the implementation of new laws which will give teeth to CURE codes of practice.

He made it clear that there could be no mis-use of the CURE forms to discriminate in any way against or for candidates on the grounds of race.

And he said that a campaign would be launched to promote CURE's activities.

Filling out the forms by candidates is voluntary, and they can refuse to give information out on their race.

There have been concerns that if applicants decide not to fill out the forms, employers will be castigated. If this happened Mr. Lister said a campaign would be launched to promote the benefits of filling out the forms.

The laws have been brought in by the Government to promote racial equality and remove racial discrimination in the work place.

It will mean that employers will have to fill in comprehensive forms about the racial make-up their employees.

Recruitment, training, promotion and dismissals will now be put under the microscope and companies will have to prove that they are striving for racial equality in the work place.

Mr. Lister has been at pains to emphasise that no company would be made to take on underqualified staff to change the racial make-up of the business.

And he said that the Government had no plans to introduce racial quotas.

"The only ones that will fill out the forms will be short listed people,'' said Mr. Lister. "It is very unusual to write in response to an advert and get a written response, unless it is to say no.

"So it will only be the short list who get the forms and the employee has no way of getting a cure form beforehand.'' The new law will effect all businesses with over 10 employees, a total of 528 companies on the Island.

Information will be collected by the government and processed. Companies will be divided into similar groups and the data compared between businesses.

And over the next five years Mr. Lister hopes that through the new CURE laws that the racial mix in companies across the board will improve.

Of all the subdivided categories in the scheme, retail will be the largest.

The new act has just been passed in Parliament and was rubber-stamped by Senate last week.

Companies which fail to register with CURE face a fine of $1,000. Those which fail to provide information will be fined $5,000.