Employers have reacted angrily to claims that Government's proposed Workforce Equity Act, which will fine firms who block the progress of black Bermudians, is needed to change the mindset of bosses.Bermuda Employer's Council executive director Martin Law said that statement by Community and Cultural Affairs Minister Wayne Perinchief had annoyed employers who were sensitive to race issues and were already doing their best to employ Bermudians.Mr. Law took issue with a number of statements made by Mr. Perinchief in Monday's in defence of the draft bill which is set to go to Parliament before Christmas.While not instigating strict numerical quotas, the bill will require companies to broadly reflect the racial make-up of the workforce in which black Bermudians make up 47 percent.It will also give Government powers to investigate how employers go about hiring and firing and promoting and paying their workers.Mr. Law said:"For the Minister to say that companies do not employ our nationals is a blatant misrepresentation. "Employers do go the extra mile to employ Bermudians it is clearly in their best interest and to assert otherwise is just plain wrong." Mr. Law said the Ministry of Labour and Immigration is geared toward ensuring the preferential employment of Bermudians."If the Minister's attributed statement that this Act is not data driven is true, then he would appear to be basing this legislative effort on perceptions gleaned from only those he is talking to, which is dangerous."Mr. Law challenged Mr. Perinchief to back up claims that the Commission for Unity and Equality (CURE) had done studies which indicate white people with high school education go further than blacks with a degree and that some black managers are earning less than the people they supervise. "We have been shown no such figures and, in the absence thereof, we would ask that he produce these studies or withdraw these allegations," said Mr. Law."He further said that the Act was focused on changing the mindset of the employer. This is quite insulting to the vast majority of employers who are sensitive to racial issues and the history of Bermuda. "To us in the employer community, it is quite sad to hear the Minister pronounce so strongly on matters that fundamentally affect the world of work, a world that his portfolio and experience do not qualify him as the prime authority."Mr. Law said the BEC was still working on a formal response to the bill. But he said the Minister's rhetoric around the draft legislation "cannot be taken as real consultation or a willingness on his part to engage in meaningful dialogue that would result in promoting the employment and advancement prospects of Bermudians, black, white or undetermined".He said Bermuda employers will continue to work toward maximising the potential of all Bermudians. "It will be self destructive not to do so regardless of the uninformed and statistically questionable positions put forward by Minister Perinchief." Mr. Law said Minister Perinchief claimed he was not blaming employers for disparities in the workplace but he contradicted this by asserting industry creates a two-class system. "He says he wants companies to work with him and we have met with him several times during the past year and not once has the Minister discussed this particular draft legislation. "The Minister clearly prefers a legislative route for reasons best known to himself but which remain undisclosed."