Canada Post trucks, conveyors and mail carriers swung back into motion Tuesday after a month-long strike by more than 55,000 postal workers left letters and parcels in limbo and a massive backlog to sort through.

Following a ministerial directive, the country91裸聊视频檚 labour board ordered employees back on the job when it determined the two sides stood too far apart to reach a deal by year91裸聊视频檚 end.

The resumption of operations brought relief to Canadians across the country amid the peak holiday shopping season, though some customers91裸聊视频� faith in the 157-year-old institution emerged a little bruised.

Narintip Wiang In said she was excited and relieved to pick up her Thai passport, which had arrived at a postal outlet in downtown Vancouver the day before the strike began.

91裸聊视频淚 didn91裸聊视频檛 catch up with the news, so I didn91裸聊视频檛 know,91裸聊视频� she said. 91裸聊视频淚91裸聊视频檝e been waiting for a month to collect this.91裸聊视频�

She said she needed her passport for a travel visa to the U.S., and she91裸聊视频檚 also applying for immigration to Canada with a deadline clock ticking down.

After leaving the post office, she said she was headed straight to Staples to ship the documents with FedEx because she no longer trusted the postal service with her important immigration papers.

91裸聊视频淚91裸聊视频檓 running out of time. It may cause my visa to be refused.91裸聊视频�

Canada Post warned that customers should expect delays as it works through big backlogs 91裸聊视频�91裸聊视频漨ail and parcels trapped in the system91裸聊视频� 91裸聊视频� and that holdups will likely persist into the new year.

91裸聊视频淲ith a large, integrated network of processing plants, depots and post offices, stabilizing operations will take time and the company asks Canadians for their patience,91裸聊视频� it said in a release Monday.

Items stranded in the system include passports, health cards, Christmas cards and gifts, medication and even at-home cancer screening kits.

Canada Post handled nearly 8.5 million letters and 1.1 million parcels per weekday on average last year 91裸聊视频� and much more of both in the holiday season.

Post offices will not take new commercial letters and packages until Thursday, the Crown corporation said.

They began accepting individuals91裸聊视频� shipments Tuesday morning. Ontario resident Roland Horner dropped off envelopes bearing donations to the Salvation Army and other charities soon after doors opened at a location in Burlington.

91裸聊视频淗opefully they91裸聊视频檒l get them before the year end,91裸聊视频� he said.

Don Suppelsa, mailing a gift package bound for his sister and brother-in-law in Nova Scotia, complained that private carriers had been taking advantage of Canadians in the postal service91裸聊视频檚 absence.

91裸聊视频淭hey were charging a lot more to send stuff, but I waited,91裸聊视频� he said at an outlet in Oshawa, Ont.

The Canada Industrial Relations Board ordered workers back on the job after a directive from Labour Minister Steven MacKinnon, who said Friday he was giving the two sides a 91裸聊视频渢imeout91裸聊视频� as negotiations seemed to have stalled.

The Canadian Union of Postal Workers has contested the move, with the labour board set to hear its challenges in mid-January, the union said.

Canada Post employee Kim Gozzard said she was 91裸聊视频渧ery happy91裸聊视频� to return to the office and expecting a busy day.

91裸聊视频淚 feel wonderful to be back at work 91裸聊视频� to look after my customers, and hopefully get everything moving and going again,91裸聊视频� she said in Oshawa.

Gozzard said while Ottawa91裸聊视频檚 intervention will put the union in a weaker position at the next round of bargaining, it was necessary to kick-start service.

91裸聊视频淚 feel both sides needed to be willing to sit and negotiate,91裸聊视频� she said. 91裸聊视频淚t shouldn91裸聊视频檛 have been drawn that long and I blame both sides.91裸聊视频�

Not all workers were back in uniform Tuesday. Employees refused to cross a picket line drawn by an assortment of unionized groups 91裸聊视频� not postal workers 91裸聊视频� at a Canada Post processing centre near the Vancouver airport in Richmond, B.C.

Meanwhile, the broader labour dispute continues to simmer.

Key issues include the size of wage increases and a push by Canada Post to expand delivery to the weekend, with the two parties at odds over how to staff the move.

The money-losing Crown corporation has pitched the expansion as a way to boost revenue and compete with other carriers, arguing that a mix of part-time and full-time shifts will create flexibility while keeping costs down. However, the union has characterized this as an attack on full-time work.

The government has appointed an industrial inquiry commission to look into the sticking points and come up with recommendations by May 15 on how a new agreement can be secured. Existing contracts have been extended to May 22.

The inquiry will also assess 91裸聊视频渢he entire structure of Canada Post from both a customer and business model standpoint,91裸聊视频� given the challenging competitive climate it faces, the labour minister said Friday. The organization has lost $3.3 billion since 2018, as letter mail declined and competitors gobbled up large chunks of the parcel market.

While months of hard-nosed bargaining lie ahead, the holiday spirit permeated the halls of one downtown Fredericton post office.

Mary Bardsley arrived at the brick building bearing Christmas cards and a Tim Hortons gift card for employees, who were greeting a steady stream of morning customers. She said she91裸聊视频檚 not worried about her holiday mail being held up.

91裸聊视频淚91裸聊视频檝e lived a long life,91裸聊视频� Bardsley said with a laugh. 91裸聊视频淚 can cope with almost anything.91裸聊视频�