I am currently on mat leave. I have received an email from a work colleague asking me to attend a training session in a few weeks' time. Some new recruits have also been asked to attend, although their start date is not until a week after the training takes place. There is no mention in the email that any of us will be paid for the time when we attend.
By way of background (avoiding AIBU by stealth!) I don't get any maternity pay from this employer as I was already 19 weeks pregnant when I started (long long long recruitment process etc). I do get maternity allowance from the DWP as I was employed elsewhere prior to this.
The training session is scheduled to last 1.5 hours. It takes me about 40 minutes door to door to travel to work and costs about £4.50 on the train (fares have increased since I finished work for mat leave and I've not been on the train recently so not sure of the current fare). I would need childcare for DD1 (3yo) and DD2 (6 months) - I can't ask PIL to do it as they both work (although part time, they will be working on this particular day) and my DMum can't take both children as she has a bad back and cannot lift DD2, although I could possibly get her to take DD1 and ask a friend to have DD2. Realistically though I would prefer to ask my childminder to have them both, as I would on any other work day, at a cost of £4.50 per hour per child.
AIBU to think that they shouldn't expect me to effectively work a half day in the office, with attendant travel and childcare costs, without getting paid for it? I don't want to be 'difficult' and petty, but really I either have to impose on people to get free childcare (which I am reluctant to do when really I should be able to use paid childcare on a 'working day') or absorb the significant cost of this myself - which boils my piss!!!
So... Am I petty and unreasonable? Should I suck it up and go without getting paid?