Am I being unreasonable?

[Twiggy71]

I work in a special school as a classroom assistant.
Recently i have been given additional duties, this entails being given the staffroom to keep tidy.
It also includes putting on the dishwasher and emptying it and leaving away the dishes to either the cupboard or the school canteen.
Am i being unreasonable in thinking this is a job for everyone using the staffroom as we are all adults to tidy up after themselves?
On Friday when i tidied up i threw away old newspapers, magazines, empty plastic bottles and papers left on tables.
As with all staffrooms you have the CF's who leave dishes, and cutlery in the sink when no-one is around to see them.
Don't get me wrong i don't shirk jobs with the dc i look after which involves changing nappies, cleaning up accidents etc. I do love my job and feel lucky to work with the children in my care.
I just don't want to have to clean up after adults who are capable of doing this themselves.

Agree with you. Regardless of the circs it pisses me off when colleagues leave dirty pots around or leave the loo in a state.

Should be on a rota, surely? Are you given time to do this chore or are you having to stay and work extra to get it done? Sounds really unfair.

I've recently started working half an hour extra per day as i'm allowed to work up time to carry over.
It wouldn't be so bad maybe but i'm a very tidy person, i do my own dishes in the sink and never use the dishwasher myself.
I told my dm who had previously been a cleaner for 30 years before she retired. She was aghast at having to tidy and clean up after other people.

Op - as classroom assistant you are paid by the hour I assume?
If so, then is this part of your paid hours? Are you released for tha last 15 minutes of the day to tidy the staffroom? Or are you working extra hours? If extra, has your contract been changed?

That's shit. People should clean their own mess.

Make a few "please wash, dry and put away any crockery/cutlery you use" signs?

Yes i am paid hourly, usually once the children go home i photocopy, tidy up, do some filing etc or whatever the teacher/teacher's need doing. I can do the tidy up of the staffroom if i have run out of things to do as i most definately won't be working on my own time.
I did used to tidy up some of the mess left at the sink in the staffroom as i felt sorry for the cleaner who had to come in and clean.
My contract only states my job working with the children and how i am to support them.

We have cleaners who clean the kitchen area through the day. (I reckon HR must reckon it's cost-effective in avoiding staff disputes.) I had a go at one of my olleagues the other day, because he made porridge which exploded in the microwave, and left the microwave and bowl with dried in bits of porridge without even putting it to soak. I found it incredibly disrespectful. Yes they are there to clean, but that doesn't mean we have to make their job harder than it already is.

You have nothing else to do and your being paid then i don't see the issue tidying up the staff room

There is nothing worse than people who leave cups in the washing up bowl! Regularly face this at work despite it being a ‘self service’ kitchen. It’s the plunging hand into murky-somehow always slimy- water.
I think though you probably have to accept doing it though, you can always resort to passive aggressive ‘put it in the dishwasher’ signs. Though this admittedly doesn’t always work for us!

You do not have to agree to do these extra jobs. You are employed as a classroom assistant, not a cleaner. Most employment contracts include a get out line like "and any other reasonable duties" but I think you could argue that cleaning duties are not a reasonable addition to the role of classroom assistant.

However, two important points:

1. If you are doing these tasks, you have accepted them as an adjustment to your job role and you won't be able to complain later. You need to decide now whether you are willing to do them or not.

1. Many classroom assistants, learning support assistants, teaching assistants etc do take on these sorts of jobs voluntarily and if they've had staff do that before, it may not have occurred to them that you may not be so willing.

Teachers don't have time to empty the dishwasher. If you do have spare time for which you are getting paid, I would do it. I think I'd leave the dirty stuff in the sink though. You're not their skivvy.

That's the problem Hedda I feel I'll just be used as a skivvy. I'll maybe ask my union for some advice.