LABOR organizations across the globe has joined the call of the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) for the immediate de-escalation, immediate ceasefire and a return to peaceful negotiations to restore peace in the Middle East. Sonny Matula, president of Federation of Free Workers (FFW), an affiliate of ITUC, on Thursday said ITUC issued the call during the March 2 meeting of union leaders from various countries in Washington, where it strongly condemned the bombings carried out by Israel and the United States against Iran. Matula said the subsequent retaliation by Iran across the region, including attacks on Bahrain, Cyprus, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), further endangers civilian lives and deepens instability. The ITUC has 331 affiliate organizations, representing some 207 million workers in 163 countries. Matula said the FFW supports the call of the ITUC, adding that workers, civilians, and migrant workers must not be treated as collateral damage in political and military conflicts. He also extended its federation’s condolences to the family of Mary Ann de Vera, a 32-year-old Filipina caregiver, and the first Filipino killed in Tel Aviv, Israel, amid escalating tensions. Two other Filipinos were reported injured in separate attacks in Kuwait and the UAE — countries with large populations of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs). “Wars may be planned in command centers, but their impact falls on family dining tables,” Matula said. “Escalation does not remain confined to battle maps — it reaches Filipino homes through grief, loss of livelihood, and rising prices of basic goods.” He said the attacks carried out by Israel and the US violate international law, undermines diplomacy, and threatens to further expand a destructive war in the region. “With an estimated 2.5 million OFWs in the Middle East, this is not a theoretical issue,” he said. “When missiles fly, remittances tremble. When bombs fall, Filipino families feel it.” Matula reiterated the FFW’s call for the immediate convening of a tripartite meeting to strengthen cooperation among the government, workers, employers, and other sectors to ensure preparedness, protection, and swift assistance for Filipinos who may be placed at risk. The group stressed the importance of close coordination among the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW), Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), employer groups, unions, migrant worker organizations, and local government units in responding quickly to any worsening of the situation. “Workers build the economy,” the FFW said. “They must not become victims of wars they did not start.”