The Food and Allied Workers' Union (Fawu) on Wednesday rejected the content of the South African Breweries' black economic empowerment deal.

The transaction had the potential to be truly broad-based in volume as it would benefit 50 000 retailers of SAB beer and soft drinks products and 9500 SAB employees, Fawu said in a statement.

However, it was disappointing in value terms.

Fawu felt that the employee share portion of the transaction would "perpetuate inequalities within SAB and within society".

Senior black managers, who on average earned R70 000 a month,would get about nine times more units for every unit held by an employee earning R7000 a month with 10 years' service.

"In other words, a R7000 earning employee will get a unit of R84 000 (annual gross salary) and an additional R21 000 (25 percent of his salary if he has 10 years of service) worth of shares.

The manager would get R840 000 worth of shares, but nothing additional for years of service.

The effect would be the enrichment of a few hundred black managers at the expense of the "meaningful mass empowerment" of almost 9000 employees.

This would reinforce disparities of asset ownership in society and inequitable distribution of income in SAB.

However, SAB countered that the empowerment deal would indeed benefit the rank-and-file.

"Almost 90 percent of the R2.9-billion share value which has been allocated to employees will go to non-managers," it said in a statement.

SAB said that its empowerment deal was "deliberately designed to be truly meaningful and to set a new standard for employee empowerment".

"Fawu's concerns regarding this matter are therefore misplaced."

Fawu said it would talk to its members during the festive season about the prospects of protest action against SAB.