The General Union is addressing serious workplace issues at the Royal Thai Consulate-General in Osaka, where a staff member has reported experiencing severe power harassment. While certain aspects of Japanese labour law clearly apply to locally-hired staff at diplomatic missions, recent cases have highlighted the complex legal landscape surrounding labour relations at foreign missions in Japan. 

The union member reports experiencing intense workplace harassment that has severely impacted their working conditions. The consulate has maintained a position of complete non-engagement, refusing both union requests for collective bargaining and Labour Bureau mediation attempts. 

While diplomatic missions can claim 主権免除 (sovereign immunity) regarding certain labour relations matters – as seen in the Canadian Embassy case where the Labour Relations Commission found it lacked jurisdiction over collective bargaining – they are still clearly obligated to comply with specific Japanese labour laws regarding locally-hired staff, particularly Employment Insurance enrollment. 

Despite these limitations, the union maintains that diplomatic missions have a moral and ethical obligation to address workplace harassment and engage in good-faith dialogue about working conditions. The consulate’s refusal to participate even in Labour Bureau mediation demonstrates a troubling disregard for basic workplace standards in Japan.