Robert Owen was a pioneer of social justice. A keen businessman who made good profits, he developed ideas and plans to use money into improving the welfare and education of his workers. Robert Owen was aware of how owners of factories in the 1800s treated their workers. He wanted to improve the working and living conditions for his employees and so advocated a fair wage for a fair days work.
Robert Owen paid better wages and provided better working conditions for his workers than many other employers of his time. In 1806, during a four week stoppage because of an American cotton embargo, Owen paid his employees full pay. From this moment on, Owen gained the trust of his employees and eventually their loyalty and affection. Today, we live in a consumer society, demanding products at low prices. Some products we buy are produced by children and adults in developing countries, working long hours in terrible conditions, and who are forced to live in poverty as they are not paid properly. In recent years, consumer awareness and consumer pressure has obliged companies to look at their business practices and some are actively trying to act more ethically. It has led to an alternative movement outside of normal trading practices to grow up around fair trade. In addition at a time when men were hostile to women's rights, Robert Owen caused controversy in the 1840s by suggesting marriage is a form of slavery for women. Over the last 150 years, inspired by the legacy of Robert Owen, co-operation has spread internationally and contributes significantly to both emerging and established economies. Co-operatives can be small-scale or multi-million pound
