Memorandum of Understanding between the Director-General
of the International Labour Office and the President of the Council
of the International Civil Aviation Organisation ⁽¹⁾

Letter from the Director-General of the International Labour Office
to the President of the Council of the International Civil Aviation Organisation

New York, 19 October 1953.

Sir,

The attached memorandum of understanding agreed between our representative on the basis of our conversation of 6 October is fully acceptable to me and, in the event of your also approving it, I shall be glad to take the necessary steps to communicate it to the Governing Body of the International Labour Office and to keep you informed of their views so that at the appropriate stage you may consult the I.C.A.O. Council.

I should like to take this opportunity of expressing my appreciation of the co-operative spirit in which our discussions on this subject have been carried out and I would express the hope that our further relations in this field will be equally fruitful.

I have the honour to be, etc.,

(Signed) David A. MORSE,
Director-General.

MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING BETWEEN THE DIRECTOR-GENERAL
OF THE INTERNATIONAL LABOUR OFFICE AND THE PRESIDENT OF THE COUNCIL OF THE INTERNATIONAL CIVIL AVIATION ORGANISATION

The Director-General of the International Labour Office and the President of the Council of the International Civil Aviation Organisation have, subject to the approval of the Governing Body and the I.C.A.O. Council respectively, reached the following understanding concerning the proposal for the establishment by the I.L.O. of a joint aviation commission which has been submitted to them by the International Transportworkers' Federation:

(1) Whether the I.L.O. should establish a joint aviation commission, representative of management and personnel in the aviation industry, for the purpose of advising the I.L.O. on questions within its competence is a matter for the Governing Body of the I.L.O.

(2) While any joint aviation commission which may be established by the I.L.O. may be called upon to advise the Governing Body on questions calling for discussions between the I.L.O. and I.C.A.O., such discussions will continue to be conducted in accordance with the present arrangements. The I.L.O. and I.C.A.O. will continue to be represented at each other's meetings as necessary and the Director-General of the I.L.O. and the President of the I.C.A.O. Council will continue to consult each other regularly in regard to all matters of common interest.

(3) In principle, in relation to the condition of employment of personnel, I.C.A.O. deals with problems affecting the safety and reliability of civil aviation and the I.L.O. with social problems, but the practical application of this principle will call for the continuation of the closest consultation between the two organisations and for the fullest interchange of information and views on matters of common interest.

(4) When problems calling for international action are of concern to both organisations, under the principles declared in (3), the I.L.O. will in general, before considering whether additional measures are necessary on social grounds, withhold action for a sufficient period to give I.C.A.O. an opportunity to establish the requirements from the standpoint of safety ; this provision will not preclude the I.L.O. from communicating to I.C.A.O. proposals for I.C.A.O. action on safety matters.

Letter from the President of the Council of the International Civil Aviation Organisation
to the Director-General of the International Labour Office

Montreal, 28 October 1953.

Sir,

Thank you for your letter of 19 October and the enclosure. The text of the memorandum as you enclosed it was in accordance with my understanding, except that I believe the word written as "condition" in the first line of subparagraph 3 should be "conditions".

So far as I am concerned, and after consulting my colleagues in the secretariat who are most concerned with such matters, the "Memorandum of Understanding" is now entirely satisfactory to me. Without presenting it formally to our Council, at least for the present, I am circulating it to the Council members with an explanatory memorandum and asking that any of them who have any particular views on the matter let me know by 12 November. I should therefore be able to let you know soon after that date whether there seems to be any likelihood of our encountering any difficulties.

It is always very pleasant to talk with you, and I can cordially reciprocate all that you say about the co-operative spirit in which we have dealt with what may become common problems. As I am sure you realise, I remain hopeful that international air transport in its present condition will not be found to present any such grave social problems as to require urgent treatment.

I have the honour to be, etc.,

(Signed) Edward WARNER,
President of the Council.

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Published in: Official Bulletin of the ILO, Vol. XXXVII, 1954, No. 7

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