Question: What year were trade unions legalized in Tony Blair's country?

Context paragraphs:
Federation of Independent Trade Unions of Russia: The Federation of Independent Trade Unions of Russia (ФНПР, FNPR, Федерация Независимых Профсоюзов России, Federatsiya Nezavisimykh Profsoyuzov Rossii) is the largest national trade union center in Russia, with a membership estimated between 28 and 31.5 million (down from 70 million at its formation).  The FNPR is widely recognized as the de facto successor to the Soviet era trade unions system, although the General Confederation of Trade Unions (GFTC), as the umbrella organization of trade unions in the former Soviet Republics, is technically the equivalent of the former system.

Trade Unions International of Transport Workers: The Trade Unions International of Transport Workers is a trade unions international of workers in the transport industry affiliated with the World Federation of Trade Unions.  It was formerly known as the Trade Unions International of Transport, Port and Fishery Workers.

Trade unions in the United Kingdom: Trade unions in the United Kingdom were first decriminalised under the recommendation of a Royal Commission in 1867, which agreed that the establishment of the organisations was to the advantage of both employers and employees.  Legalised in 1871, the trade union movement sought to reform socio-economic conditions for working men in British industries, and the trade unions' search for this led to the creation of a Labour Representation Committee which effectively formed the basis for today's Labour Party, which still has extensive links with the Trade Union Movement in Britain.  Margaret Thatcher's governments weakened the powers of the unions in the 1980s, in particular by making it more difficult to strike legally, and some within the British trades union movement criticised Tony Blair's Labour government for not reversing some of Thatcher's changes.  Most British unions are members of the TUC, the Trades Union Congress (founded in 1867), or where appropriate, the Scottish Trades Union Congress or the Irish Congress of Trade Unions, which are the country's principal national trade union centres.

Tony Blair: Anthony Charles Lynton Blair (born 6 May 1953) is a British politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 2 May 1997 to 27 June 2007 and Leader of the Labour Party from 21 July 1994 to 24 June 2007.  He previously served as Leader of the Opposition from 21 July 1994 to 2 May 1997.  He is the most recent British Labour Party leader to have won a general election.

Free Trade Unions (Germany): The Free Trade Unions (German: "Freie Gewerkschaften"; sometimes also translated as Free Labor Unions or Free Labour Unions) comprised the socialist trade union movement in Germany from 1890 to 1933.  The term distinguished them from the liberal ("yellow") and Christian labor unions in Germany.  Coordinated by the General Commission of German Trade Unions until 1919 and later by the Federal Executive of the German Trade Union Federation, the Free Trade Unions consisted of forty-six individual labor organizations with a total of 2.5 million members as of 1914.  The term "free" was to note that these unions were independent worker organizations.  The liberal ("yellow") unions were considered to be controlled by management and the "Christian" trade unions by the Catholic Church.

Korean Confederation of Trade Unions: The Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU), also known as Minju-nochong (Korean: 민주노총 ; acronym for "KCTU" in Korean language) is a national trade union centre officially established in 1995.  Its predecessor was the National Council of Trade Unions (NCTU), established in 1990 as an independent alternative to the Federation of Korean Trade Unions.  With 682,418 members in 2007, the KCTU accounted for 40.6% of trade union members in South Korea.  The KCTU has more than 1,200 affiliated enterprise-level trade unions.  It is the second largest trade union national center in South Korea, following the Federation of Korean Trade Unions (FKTU).  On 1 April 2009, KCTU delegates at a special session elected Lim Seong-kyu as President.  Of the two, the KCTU is generally considered to be the more militant.

Trade unions in Azerbaijan: Trade unions in Azerbaijan are governed under the Act on Trade Unions (1994) and the Labour Code (1999).  Trade unions may be formed with seven or more members, although those in military service or in management positions may not form unions.  The constitution provides for a right to strike, although essential services are excluded from this right.  Trade unions are prohibited from carrying out political activities and may not associate with political parties or receive finances from political parties.  The International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) notes, "such a general prohibition is deemed contrary to the principles of freedom of association."  The Azerbaijan Trade Union Confederation (ATUC) is the sole national centre.  Azerbaijan has ratified the two key International Labour Organisation Conventions covering trade union rights on freedom of association and collective bargaining (Conventions 87 and 98).

Federation of Trade Unions of Ukraine: The Federation of Trade Unions of Ukraine (known by its Ukrainian acronym, FPU) is an all-Ukrainian voluntary association of trade unions that represents national-level industrial sector in the Crimea and the city of Kiev and it surrounding region.  It is the largest trade union confederation in Ukraine, with more than 8.5 million members.  As of 1 March 2011, 44 national trade unions and 26 regional trade unions were affiliated to the FPU.

Union Modernisation Fund: The Union Modernisation Fund (UMF) was a fund established in 2005 by the Government of the United Kingdom (at this time under the leadership of Tony Blair, who was part of the Labour government) with the aim of providing financial support to British trade unions by supporting "innovative modernisation projects which contribute to a transformational change in the organisational effectiveness of a trade union".  The fund was overseen by the independent quasi-autonomous non-governmental organisation (quango) the Union Modernisation Fund Supervisory Board (officially termed a non-departmental public body), which was part of the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills.  Three rounds of the UMF were held, with a large amount of money disseminated to trade unions.  The Conservatives criticised the fund, calling it a way to keep the unions "sweet", and the then shadow business secretary Alan Duncan called on Gordon Brown to scrap the fund.  Only three rounds of funding were ever held, and the board was abolished in 2010 as part of the UK government's quango reforms (as the board's function had been completed).  In total the fund gave £7 million to trade unions throughout its existence.

World Federation of Trade Unions: The World Federation of Trade Unions (WFTU) was established in 1945 to replace the International Federation of Trade Unions.  Its mission was to bring together trade unions across the world in a single international organization, much like the United Nations.  After a number of Western trade unions left it in 1949, as a result of disputes over support for the Marshall Plan, to form the International Confederation of Free Trade Unions, the WFTU was made up primarily of unions affiliated with or sympathetic to Communist parties.  In the context of the Cold War, the WFTU was often portrayed as a Soviet front organization.  A number of those unions, including those from Yugoslavia and China, left later when their governments had ideological differences with the Soviet Union.

Supporting paragraphs: Trade unions in the United Kingdom Tony Blair
Answer: 1871