Government's Airport contractor has resolved salary concerns with its Bermudian air traffic controller trainees, project manager Mr. Don Parrish told The Royal Gazette yesterday.

And five Bermudians are to leave the Island tomorrow for a four-month training course in England, said Mr. Parrish, of Canadian contractor Serco Aviation Services Inc.

The Gazette reported in April that two top Bermudian candidates for air traffic controller jobs had balked at the first-year $30,000 salary offer, and others had expressed unhappiness about it.

Yesterday, Mr. Parrish said the salary offer had been sweetened, but he would not say by how much. "I'd rather not get into that,'' he said. "It's between Serco and the employees.'' One of the five, who requested anonymity, told the Gazette that no word of the final salary offer had been received, though candidates were told the starting salary would likely be increased to between $35,000 and $40,000.

The training course at Bailbrook College in England is divided into two parts, Mr. Parrish said. The first part teaches several subjects related to aeronautics. The second part involves use of a simulator specially programmed to replicate conditions at Bermuda's Airport, which the US Navy is turning over to local control on June 1.

"Any air traffic control course is quite difficult,'' Mr. Parrish said.

"There's a lot to be learned, and it's done in quite a compressed time frame.'' Once they return from England, the five are to train on the job for three to four months with five experienced air traffic controllers from Canada and two experienced controllers who are spouses of Bermudians.

S.African doctor to speak at forum A white South African doctor, who operated clinics in Soweto during apartheid, will be the guest speaker at a Beyond Barriers forum next weekend.

Dr. Timothy Wilson -- who is special advisor to South Africa's Minister of Health and is on his way to a business trip in Canada -- will stop in Bermuda for two days.

During his brief visit he will speak about the "Global Implications of Healing the Racial Divide'' during a forum at Wesley Methodist Church on Church Street on May 21, beginning at 7 p.m.

Beyond Barriers spokesman Mr. Glenn Fubler said the forum was organised as a part of the group's ongoing effort to encourage discussion within the community about unity.

"Dr. Wilson will be able to bring an interesting perspective,'' Mr. Fubler said. "As a white South African who went beyond the barriers of privilege that were afforded him under apartheid, he chose to become actively involved in the work to transform that nation.

"He used the substantial training that he was afforded as a Rhodes Scholar to turn back into his long-troubled society, operating clinics in such areas as Soweto over the years.'' Mr. Fubler said Dr. Wilson will be able to provide some insight into the ground-breaking work being carried out in South Africa to establish systems, such as clinics for the former victims of apartheid.

Dr. Wilson will also be able to discuss the ongoing "truth and reconciliation'' process being carried out under the leadership of South Africa's president Mr. Nelson Mandela and its first democratically-elected government.

"In order to make this forum of optimum use to Bermuda, a panel of local people is being pulled together,'' Mr. Butler said. "They will represent a cross-section of views in the Island on how we can heal the racial divide.'' Salaries resolved It has not been decided whether all five recruits will be hired as air traffic controllers, or only four will be, Mr. Parrish said.

"There will be an assessment done of the actual workload here over the next number of months,'' he said. "That would have to be a decision of Government, I would say, in early December.'' Mr. Parrish said the uncertainty about how many would be hired "adds a bit to the competitiveness''. But it is normal practice to train more controllers than might be needed "because we know that the attrition rate is fairly high in this field''.

It was possible that by training five recruits, Serco would end up with four controllers, though "everybody hopes that all five make it'', he said.

Serco is being paid more than $20 million to handle air traffic control, weather, firefighting, ground electronics, and flight information at the Airport for the next five years.

The experienced Canadians and the spouses of Bermudians arrived in April and are now working beside the US Navy controllers, Mr. Parrish said.

The seven experienced controllers are each to be paid $45,000 a year. News that the five Canadians would each also receive a monthly housing allowance of about $1,400 heightened controversy over the air traffic controller positions.

Serco says the housing allowances are being paid because the Canadians are on short-term contracts and most of them left other jobs to come to Bermuda.

With the date of the Airport handover rapidly approaching, "I would say it's falling into place very, very well,'' Mr. Parrish said.

"From what we see at the moment, we can't think of any show stoppers.

Everything seems to be right on schedule.''