Minister of Labor Maritza Hernandez has told Listin Diario reporters that the severance pay package is not part of the discussions underway aimed at revising the country’s Labor Code. She said that any reform of the code must be made by consensus and “any law must improve, not go backwards.” Nonetheless she also stressed the need for public policies that can generate jobs and increase business competitiveness. Sectors seeking to make changes to the Labor Code argue that small business is discouraged from creating formal jobs under the present conditions.