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Amid rising lay-offs and closure of businesses, Labour, Small and Micro Enterprise Development Minister Leroy Baptiste announced upcoming amendments which seek to widen the safety net for retrenched workers.

He said revisions to the current Retrenchment and Severance Benefits Act 32 1985 will expand who can access severance benefits, and considerations are being made to widen payout margins.

Currently, workers employed for less than one year or up to three years are entitled to two weeks' pay per year of service, while employees of more than five years are entitled to three.