The Toronto Star announced it will hire eight digital journalists who will be paid less than other journalists in the newsroom and it is considering another round of editorial buyouts. The newspaper also laid off 11 full-time page editors and eight staff in the circulation department.

The union said it is most concerned about the digital hires, which it said would result in a two-tiered pay system, with digital-only reporters paid approximately $200 less per week than an entry-level Star reporter.

“Some of these jobs, we don’t have a problem with… like the video assistant who will be responsible for cutting video,” said Dan Smith, vice-chair of the Star union. “But whether you’re writing for web or whether you’re writing for print, that’s the same journalism… and they should be paid the same.”