HWDC/ILC

[Cyclopz]

Greetings one and all.

Ok I have now been at ILC for about three months and the place is OK.
We made it through Christmas pressure without too much incident helped by a massive wave of agency staff.
Things have calmed down a bit now but work is still flowing through the place.
International packets is one area of he business that is growing so the job seems relatively secure for now.
The building is leased for seven years or so I have been told.

My question here is does anyone from the Union or anywhere else have any information about ILC?
What is the relationship between ILC and HWDC and are we going to get split into two separate entities?
Does anyone have any information about a resign at ILC and HWDC?
Will the resign happen and with duties be available at both sites in the resign?
Will HWDC be able to sign for duties at ILC, will ILC staff be able to sign for duties at HWDC?

I'm fishing for any information, any agreements that I can download and read.
Basically any information on the running of the sites and what the future holds for us all working within them.

Many thanks one and all and a belated merry Christmas.

[britwrit]

Hi. I've worked at HWDC for about three years now and yeah, the union keeps a really low profile.

ILC is supposedly just an annex to HWDC now. That's what I heard (and everything I "know" is from "what I heard"). Management, however, allegedly wants to make them separate little mail centres. The union doesn't and that's what part of what they're negotiating for the resign coming up.

What I actually know is that they want to run Signed for and Airsure export through the PSM at night (right now, it's all done manually.) That'll lead to huge shake-up in duties and so the resign will have to happen sooner than later. Whatever happens though, I can't see the union agreeing to a deal where you can't sign for overtime at both sites. That's the one issue anyone notices and as long as the overtime keeps flowing, everyone will be semi-content or whatever.

[Cyclopz]

That's great thanks mate.

Nice to meet you by the way.

Anyone else from HWDC or ILC please introduce yourselves and of course do not give too much information away about yourself.

We can all chat, there is nothing wrong with it, but slandering the company is considered gross misconduct with the result of adios amigo.

Paranoid, who me?

[SpacePhoenix]

What is ILC? Something to do with customs? I know that HWDC is the office through which any mail passing in or out of the UK passes through.

off-topic:

@britwit, how big is a PSM?

[britwrit]

ILC stands for International Logistics Centre. It's a building leased long-term in the same business park to HWDC earlier this year, right next door, and replaces the various outhouses that had been set up to handle overflow from HWDC. It also helped bring to HWDC and ILC - I think? - the last international work that had been spread out to Mount Pleasant and other mail centres near London?

ILC currently handles all the packages coming into the country. HWDC handles everything going out, as well as flats/letters heading in both directions. The outhouses were revived for Christmas but are shut back down now?

As far as how big the PSM at HWDC is, sorry to be useless. Big? As large as three quarters as a football pitch?

[Cyclopz]

It seems to be a relatively safe job at the moment although you never know what the privatisation people have planned for it.

I mean could they sell the sites or lease out the work or something along those lines or from a business perspective do you think the company
would rather keep these two profitable buildings on their own books?

Lots and lots of fixed term contract staff at ILC, six month contracts that might or might not be renewed.
It's good for keeping people motivated, you know the fear of not having their contract renewed.

We have staff transferred in from Mount Pleasant, nine elms, Reading mail centre and from Woking VOC.
Maybe some people transferred in from other offices that I am unaware of.
Some people take two hours to drive to work.

Lots of nice looking women walking around aswell but unfortunately most are married.
It's a good place if you, like me, enjoy observing different cultures.

[barbario]

Is it true the lease is now up at ILC and Royal Mail don't want to renew it.

[SpacePhoenix]

Is it true the lease is now up at ILC and Royal Mail don't want to renew it.

I've heard that our airmail will be going via Stanstead from the autumn, if RM can find a big enough site at Stanstead it wouldn't surprise me to see both ILS and HWDC close down

[britwrit]

If I recall correctly, the leases on both buildings expire in two to three years. I've worked at two mail centres that have since closed down and for what it's worth, I'm not getting any similiar vibes at HWDC. No worried managers, no vets gleefully planning on their retirements, etc. etc.

I don;t know. Is anyone on here from Stansted?

[Martin Walsh]

The Agreement reached for International harmonise the review dates for ILC , HWDC and LAMU ( who moved into a new leased building ) to 2019.

The growth in International work is from china but is not worth a lot in terms of revenue. The talks recognised that this growth area cannot be handled by ILC , HWDC and LAMU and needed to be done at some others sites including Mail centres.

[SpacePhoenix]

The Agreement reached for International harmonise the review dates for ILC , HWDC and LAMU ( who moved into a new leased building ) to 2019.

The growth in International work is from china but is not worth a lot in terms of revenue. The talks recognised that this growth area cannot be handled by ILC , HWDC and LAMU and needed to be done at some others sites including Mail centres.

dingo, what "work" are they proposing gets migrated to MCs? Most MCs probably don't have either the time, space or staff to take on any extra work

[Cyclopz]

The Agreement reached for International harmonise the review dates for ILC , HWDC and LAMU ( who moved into a new leased building ) to 2019.

The growth in International work is from china but is not worth a lot in terms of revenue. The talks recognised that this growth area cannot be handled by ILC , HWDC and LAMU and needed to be done at some others sites including Mail centres.

Then it's all good for everyone but it is our work, it belongs to ILC and we set it all up so don't you SOB's forget it.

[Cyclopz]

The Agreement reached for International harmonise the review dates for ILC , HWDC and LAMU ( who moved into a new leased building ) to 2019.

The growth in International work is from china but is not worth a lot in terms of revenue. The talks recognised that this growth area cannot be handled by ILC , HWDC and LAMU and needed to be done at some others sites including Mail centres.

Dingo could you explain more about this agreement please?

Thanks.

[baldrick]

The Agreement reached for International harmonise the review dates for ILC , HWDC and LAMU ( who moved into a new leased building ) to 2019.

The growth in International work is from china but is not worth a lot in terms of revenue. The talks recognised that this growth area cannot be handled by ILC , HWDC and LAMU and needed to be done at some others sites including Mail centres.

Then it's all good for everyone but it is our work, it belongs to ILC and we set it all up so don't you SOB's forget it.

Errrr, actually it was originally work from Mount Pleasant and other inward foreign mcs around the country.
I would guess it's those tiny packets from China containing little electronic bits, chains, magnets etc which are too small to be sorted by machine and take hours to sort one yorkie by hand. I don't know how they can afford to ship them here and make a profit.

[Cyclopz]

Errrr, actually it was originally work from Mount Pleasant and other inward foreign mcs around the country.

I didn't know it was originally from the Mount.

I would guess it's those tiny packets from China containing little electronic bits, chains, magnets etc which are too small to be sorted by machine and take hours to sort one yorkie by hand. I don't know how they can afford to ship them here and make a profit.

What do you mean ship them here and make a profit.
Do you mean ship them to ILC or do you mean ship them to the UK in general?