London Living Wage: food for thought – Around Ealing

“Being paid the London Living Wage allows me to maintain my day-to-day expenses and I can save a bit of money. I think that’s what every employee expects,” said Yamini Panneerselvam, people and payroll administrator at Belazu.

Based in Greenford, Belazu has been making and distributing chef-grade Mediterranean ingredients including oils, pastes, and pesto since 1991.

It pays its staff the London Living Wage – an hourly rate of pay calculated to give workers in London enough to afford the essentials and help them to save money.

‘What every employee expects’

Yamini told us that being paid the London Living Wage, amongst other benefits, makes her want to stay with Belazu for a long time. She said:

“Paying the London Living Wage is a key value for us. The company wants to make sure employees are happy working here. By being accredited, good and diverse staff are retained, equality is maintained, and there is increased productivity.

“If other companies paid the London Living Wage, employees might stay longer in the business and give more input. This could be the reason why a business is successful.”

‘Achieve good business outcomes’

Vicky O’Hare, head of people at Belazu added:

“Belazu is a proud London Living Wage employer, and we firmly believe that this is key to providing good quality work and achieving business outcomes. 

“Attraction and retention of staff is improved, engagement is enhanced, and focus on achieving personal and business objectives is sharpened.”

‘Plenty of benefits’

Ealing Council leader, Peter Mason said:

“The London Living Wage is continuing to help secure more and more good jobs in the borough, with the right people being well paid and retained. Employers and their staff are benefitting from a boost in pay and productivity, and better recruitment and retention. We will continue doing all we can to support employers to become London Living Wage accredited so that their staff are fairly paid for their contribution.”

Councillor Kamaljit Nagpal, the council’s cabinet member for decent living incomes, said:

“I’m happy to hear that businesses in the borough like Belazu base their values around ensuring employees are happy and productive through paying the London Living Wage.

“There are plenty of benefits of being an accredited business. Remember to take advantage of our incentive scheme by becoming accredited by 31 March.”

Unlock access to incentives and support

Being accredited is good for business. Employers who sign up to become accredited by 31 March 2025 will be able to access a range of great benefits from Ealing Council including grants to cover costs, free recruitment services, and free training for your employees.

Speak to a member of the team by emailing invest@ealing.gov.uk, or fill in a short online form to express an interest in becoming an accredited employer.