On the right track to promote domestic workers’ rights? A comment on case C-531/23 <i>Loredas</i>

Domestic workers undertake vital reproductive labour across Europe, yet their rights have rarely been considered by the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU). This comment critically examines the CJEU's judgment in Loredas , which found that the exemption of private domestic employers from the general obligation to record working time is contrary to EU law. We argue that this is a welcome step towards recognising domestic work as work ‘like any other'. However, the CJEU's suggestion that derogations in respect of part-time or overtime work could apply to the domestic work sector, on account of its special features, is a retrograde move and could reinforce workers’ structural vulnerability to labour exploitation.