Clubs with financial or other problems have been urged once again to talk to their Branch rather than waiting till it's too late and, like the proverbial ostrich, burying their heads in the sand.

In his speech at this year's Conference Union President George Dawson said: "Please use the Union to assist you but don't leave it too late that we can't do anything and when we've assisted take our advice instead of ignoring it and coming back later when things have got worse."

Committees also need to look out for new rules which mean Employment tribunals will now be able to order a club which loses a tribunal claim to pay a financial penalty. This will mean that if a club loses a case brought by a member of staff, or a former member of staff, and is shown to have especially poor workplace practices, it could be fined up to £5,000 on top of any back pay that is due to the employee.

Acas's "early conciliation" also came into effect this month, subject to transitional provisions.

This means that a member of staff thinking about making an employment tribunal claim will need to contact Acas first. Acas will then offer "early conciliation" to try to resolve the dispute quickly and cost-effectively.