City of Cape Town funded a programme administered by the Cape Clothing and Textile Cluster. The programme aimed at clamping down on employee absenteeism, who has achieved remarkable success in just six months.
The programme was launched in March 2024 and was titled as the ‘Project Present’. The project observed the Cluster partner with fourteen leading clothing manufacturers, which represented more than 6,000 employees, to disseminate best practices in absenteeism management.
As per the sources, the programme invested more than 600 hours in training. More than past sic months were spent in training 104 leaders and frontline workers, by equipping them with the tools that are necessary to cultivate the consistent attendance and improve the workplace outcomes across the industry.
Member of the Mayoral Committee for Economic Growth – Alderman James Vos said that since the launching in March, ‘Project Present’ has helped the businesses to reduce the absenteeism by 11.34% from the 2023 benchmark.
It translates to a recovery of 1.2 million minutes of production time and a direct cost-saving of R1.11 million across participating factories. “We are honoured to support a programme that not only enhances the productivity but also ensures the future of Cape Town’s clothing and textile industry” said Alderman Vos.
Considerably, the project saw the CCTC partner with the National Bargaining Council’s healthcare fund, which saw the illness occurring during the winter and noted as a driver of absenteeism. Through this collaboration, 627 workers received the vaccinations.
Alderman James Vos explained further that in year 2023, an estimation of 100 million clothing and textile units were sourced from Cape Town. He added, “It should further be noted that the industry contributes around R3.1 billion to the economy of the city while supporting nearly 24,000 jobs.”
Notably, ‘Project Present’ are ultimate programmes that lead to much motivated employees and a more competitive clothing and textile industry that will further bolster the economy.
According to Vos, it is good for the sector, it’s good for the City of Cape Town as whole. “When we invest in our people, the returns ripple through every corner of Cape Town,” expressed the city Alderman.