The United Bermuda Party will next week unveil a more inclusive approach to helping all Bermudians get ahead at work after labelling Government's bid to focus on black Bermudians as an election ploy.

This week former Cabinet Minister Patrice Minors urged the UBP to make its stand clear on the Workforce Equity Act after weeks of silence from the Opposition on the landmark bill — a draft of which has been circulated to employers.

While not instigating strict numerical quotas, the bill will require companies to broadly reflect the racial composition of the workforce in which black Bermudians make up 47 percent.

The bill, which talks specifically about correcting disadvantages to black Bermudians, will also give Government powers to investigate how employers go about hiring, firing, promoting and paying their workers.

Opposition Deputy Leader Patricia Gordon-Pamplin told The Royal Gazette: "The United Bermuda Party is fully supportive of opportunities for Bermudians, period.

"We are not going to start to segregate between black and white, it is just not going to happen. We have to consider opportunities for Bermudians — but we have to be fair right across the board.

"As a black Bermudian woman in the corporate arena I find it offensive that anyone would give me any position because I am black. Let me stand on my merits, my capabilities, my education and my ability to do the job but not my skin tone.

"I find that offensive and many people in the corporate arena with whom we have spoken find the same thing.

"We are looking at something that is inclusive of all Bermudians, that there ought not to be discriminatory practices against women, which seems to be a challenge, blacks or whites or those who are physically disadvantaged.

"We are talking about a whole spectrum."

She said she agreed with the gist of the Government bill — that Bermudians should not be given the short end of the stick — but her party's approach would be far more inclusive.

"Everyone with an ounce of intelligence would understand that education is the key pillar from which you have to springboard to ensure opportunity and economic empowerment — that goes for all people, not just blacks."

Mrs. Minors wrote on a PLP blog this week: "The question now before is what will Michael Dunkley and Pat Gordon-Pamplin do? Thus far, both leaders have remained uncharacteristically silent when it comes to the Workforce Equity Act."

She said neither could stay silent for ever.

But yesterday Mrs. Gordon-Pamplin said Government was split over its own bill with Finance Minister Paula Cox questioning its legality and Premier Ewart Brown already hinting at amendments. And she claimed one other senior Government Minister had privately said the bill would not proceed as Bermudians needed to be educated properly first.

She said with the PLP at odds on its own bill a detailed critique on the draft wasn't needed. Instead next week the UBP will issue a detailed policy position paper.

Mrs. Gordon-Pamplin said: "I am not prepared to be chasing a lead balloon the PLP have tried to float just prior to an election as a pure election ploy trying again to plunder the emotions of black Bermudians. I am not prepared to play games with people's lives and opportunities.

"Government did the same thing before the last election with term limits — let's say something that will appeal to the black community and hope they don't notice they are being exploited."

Prominent PLP supporters such as MP Renee Webb, Eva Hodgson and Larry Burchall have all distanced themselves from the proposed bill and have said fixing Bermuda's failing public education system was the vital step in tackling lingering workplace inequality between the races.

Dr. Hodgson, in a letter to this paper earlier in the month, said: "Racial quotas will call into question the qualifications, experience, and capabilities of all Black Bermudians whose positions and promotions have been and will be earned based solely on their performance.

"Suddenly, all people, black and white, will look at the colour of one's skin and immediately they will make an assumption as to why they are sharing an office with them.

"Black Bermudians will be looked at as 'tokens', for lack of a better term, and may even begin to call into question their own capabilities."

She finished by saying she fully support any effort Government made to improve and expand the opportunities available to Black Bermudians and level the playing field.

"I just think that we need to go straight to the root of the problem, which, as many Bermudians much older and wiser than I have pointed out recently, is our public education system, rather than pointing the finger at some imaginary elitist clique of racist executives."