issue of mandatory reporting of the racial makeup in the workplace.

Despite amending Terry Lister's failed CURE Regulations, a joint industry task force comprising the Island's most influential business organisations and associations have indicated they are still dissatisfied with the final document. And the Joint Industry Task Force have clearly spelled out in a memo to Development and Opportunity Minister, Mr. Lister, that they will not provide their support for the amended Regulations unless he agrees to limiting the use of Form 4.

Form 4 requires businesses to submit racial statistics on whom they hired, fired and promoted.

But members of the Task Force -- which includes the Bermuda Chamber of Commerce, the Bermuda Employers Council, the Bermuda Hotel Association, The Bermuda International Business Association and the International Companies Division of the Chamber of Commerce -- claim that the form "crosses the line into the realm of `micro management', and adopts a "guilty until proven innocent mindset''.

"This flies in the face of your own often repeated assertion that you expect the overwhelming majority of Bermuda firms to be in compliance with the spirit of CURE,'' the memo reads.

The Task Force in their memo also holds that Form 3, which requires details on a company's racial composition and corresponding incomes, "provides sufficient information to allow'' the Minister to judge which companies are not in compliance with the spirit of CURE.

"It is inappropriate for Government to intrude into the day- to-day managerial processes by which businesses meet necessary objectives,'' the memo reads.

"We believe that CURE can only be rendered totally effective if it enjoys the wholehearted support of the business community.'' Members of the International Companies Division of the Chamber of Commerce were apprised of the stance taken by the Joint Task Force, in a letter released to its members on Monday.

CURE regulations "Minister Terry Lister has tabled the CURE Regulations Bill in the House last Friday in a form which the Joint Industry Task Force cannot support.

"The Task force has worked long and hard over the last three months in crafting our response to the draft regulations and has had a number of meetings with the minister in order to explain our position,'' the letter reads.

"The Senate previously sent the Bill back to the lower House as it felt that business had not been sufficiently consulted, and now that the consultation has still left us far apart on our major issue, we would expect this to be taken into account by the Senate when they once again consider the Bill.'' Terry Lister BUSINESS BUC