The statement "the means of production should belong to the workers who use them" reflects a core principle of socialism and communism. It means that the factories, machinery, land, and resources needed for producing goods and services should be collectively owned or controlled by the workers themselves rather than by private capitalists or the state bureaucracy. Under this arrangement, workers directly manage and regulate the production process, making decisions about the workplace democratically. This idea counters the capitalist mode of production, where ownership and control rest with a small capitalist class who profits from workers' labor while workers receive only wages. When workers own the means of production, the surplus value they produce belongs to them collectively, not to outside owners. This aims to eliminate exploitation by making the workplace and its output the common property of the laborers, ensuring fair distribution based on workers' contribution and social needs. Public ownership by the state (as in some socialist states) differs from common ownership by workers; the former can still involve exploitation by bureaucratic elites, while true worker ownership involves direct control by the laborers themselves over production and distribution decisions.

Thus, the principle emphasizes worker empowerment and social equity in controlling productive resources rather than leaving them to capitalist profit motives or state bureaucracy. This concept is foundational to Marxist theory and many socialist movements advocating for economic democracy and social ownership of production means.