took a step closer yesterday when pilots voted to authorise a strike if contract talks fail.

Delta - which flies to the Island from Boston and Atlanta - and its pilots have been negotiating a new contract for nearly 18 months, with the pilots increasingly frustrated by the pace of the talks.

The company and union have agreed to negotiate until February 28, when they will ask the National Mediation Board to arbitrate any remaining disputes.

If either side then rejected arbitration, which is considered likely, they would enter a 30-day cooling-off period.

The pilots then could strike on April 1, barring intervention by President George W Bush, who expressed concern last week about possible work stoppages at Delta, Northwest, United and American and said he would "explore all options.'' The Air Line Pilots Association said yesterday that a record 99 percent of Delta's 9,800 pilots returned strike-authorisation ballots by Friday's deadline, and 97 percent of them voted for a walkout.

Delta spokesman Russ Williams said the vote result was not unexpected.

"It does not imply that a strike either is imminent or that a strike is inevitable,'' he said. "With this vote ALPA has neither called a strike or set a specific deadline for a strike.'' Last week Delta unveiled a pay plan that it said would make its pilots the best paid in the industry, offering base-pay raises of 7 percent to 17.5 percent, rising to more than 30 percent in the final year of the new contract.

CONFERENCE CALL CON GVT Conference call Ministers and Civil Service executives will attend a day-long seminar today at the Fairmont Hamilton Princess, run by an executive training firm.

A Government Information Service spokesperson said: "The meetings will focus on leadership issues as they relate to embarking on the change initiative.'' The seminar will be led by Franklin Covey Co., a firm whose consultants have provided services regarding quality and leadership programme implementation for the US Navy and Shell Oil.

Premier Jennifer Smith said: "It is key that our mission, vision and values are properly aligned in order to bring about effective change.

"We are pleased that we have been able to secure the expertise of the Franklin Covey Company to facilitate this process and I look forward to productive discussions.'' Franklin Covey senior consultants Joy Carvey and Keith Gulledge will lead the day long seminar.