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Why did Robert Owen support self-governing workshops?

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Robert Owen supported the formation of self-governing workshops as a practical application of his broader socialism and cooperative principles.12

His support for these workshops was rooted in the belief that labour is the source of all wealth. By organizing industries through self-governing bodies, Owen sought to empower workers and realize their aspirations for a transformed social order, moving away from the competitive factory system that he argued caused distress.21

These workshops were intended to function as part of a larger movement toward united action, where machinery would be subordinated to the needs of people rather than competing against them. This effort to organize industry through labour unionism eventually led to the establishment of the National Equitable Labour Exchange in 1832, which provided a necessary market for the goods produced by these cooperative workshops.12