equality and fairness in the company's practices will apply to Bermuda subisidiary Heddington Insurance, a spokesperson said.

A senior Texaco executive who worked at Heddington was fired in January following an investigation into a tape recording of company executives uttering racial slurs and discussing destroying documents needed for a discrimination lawsuit.

The seven-member task force has been charged with evaluting potential improvements to Texaco's human resources programmes and with monitoring the programmes.

The task force was established as part of the settlement Texaco reached in November, 1996 with its current and former black employees. Texaco agreed to a $176.1 million legal settlement. The company also agreed to spend $35 million on a task force to recruit black workers, monitor discrimination and develop diversity and sensitivity training.

The company made the settlement after a tape recording of a meeting in the US involving four senior executives was made public. At the meeting was David Keough, who later was transferred to Bermuda as Heddington's chief financial and administrative officer.

In the taping some of the executives -- but not Mr. Keough -- could be heard uttering racial slurs against black employees. The executives also allegedly discussed destroying documents needed for a racial discrimination suit against the firm by current and former workers. Texaco made the settlement after the taping was made public.

The independent task force was selected by Texaco and the plaintiffs' lawyer.

Heddington has 44 employees on the Island.

DISCRIMINATION DIS