The Benin Electricity Distribution Company has announced a salary increase for its members of staff effective December 1, 2026.

The electricity utility provider, which distributes electricity to Edo, Delta, Ondo and Ekiti states, disclosed this on Saturday in a statement obtained from its official Facebook page. The company said the decision followed successful negotiations with its recognised labour unions.

The company affirmed the decision during an engagement with the National Union of Electricity Employees and the Senior Staff Association of Electricity and Allied Companies. The meeting was led by BEDC Acting Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Jonathan Lawani, alongside the Deputy General Secretary of SSAEAC, Dr Innocent Lord Douglas, and the Assistant General Secretary Field Services of NUEE, Mbang Ntukubes, among other representatives.

BEDC said it has successfully concluded negotiations with representatives of the unions, reaching a mutually agreed resolution on consequential salary adjustments, effective December 1, 2026. The meeting, held on November 6, 2026, took place on the date previously agreed by management and the labour unions for the conclusion of the process.

Following extensive deliberations, all parties reached a consensus, with the agreements formally signed for implementation from December 1, 2026.

The meeting addressed critical issues affecting electricity workers, including consequential adjustments, personal protective equipment, staff promotions, staff welfare, salary harmonisation, and overtime payments. Management said the agreement was aimed at improving working conditions and strengthening industrial harmony within the company, while also ensuring improved service delivery to customers across its franchise areas.

Lawani expressed regret that the industrial action occurred before the agreed date for concluding negotiations, as reaffirmed at the October 7 meeting. He explained that BEDC approved operational expenditure framework had remained fundamentally unchanged since 2013, despite rising costs and prevailing economic realities.

He said management remained committed to dialogue and to resolving workers concerns through lawful and mutually acceptable means.

The dispute arose from concerns over consequential salary adjustments following the implementation of the national minimum wage, salary harmonisation and other employee welfare matters. Workers had embarked on industrial action on October 19, 2026, significantly disrupting electricity supply following the shutdown of electricity feeders by protesting workers. Management said the company lost over N2 billion in revenue within two days of the industrial action.

Management said it had introduced several initiatives since October 2022 to improve staff welfare, remuneration and working conditions. These included salary increases ranging from five per cent to 70 per cent across staff categories, promotions for more than 1,000 employees between 2023 and 2025, and salary adjustments for 833 workers during the same period. The company urged staff to reciprocate the gesture with renewed commitment, discipline and improved service to customers.