Angry Canada Post employees in St. John’s maintained their picket line Tuesday morning until precisely the moment they were ordered to return to work.

With an oil barrel filled with burning wood, the employees — represented by the Canadian Union of Postal Workers — milled about the parking lot outside the main Canada Post station in the city, on Kenmount Road.

The Canada Industrial Relations Board ordered a return to work on Sunday, catching CUPW leadership off guard.

Union local president Craig Dyer called Tuesday “a sad day” for his members.

The back-to-work order effectively ended a strike that started Nov. 15 over pay and other issues. The ongoing impasse brought mail delivery to a halt, and has had a significant impact on businesses and consumers.

Dyer said earlier he felt the order was “orchestrated this way.”

Postal workers across Canada are returning to their normal duties at 8 a.m. local time.

In a statement, Canada Post said existing contracts will be extended until May 22, and that it is proposing to implement a wage increase of five per cent for employees.

“With both parties in agreement, the wage increase will be retroactive to the day after each collective agreement expired,” Canada Post said.

Retroactive pay will come in two portions, the first being a $1,000 payment before Christmas for regular employees and $500 for temporary employees, based on hours. The rest of the pay will be distributed in January.

Download our free CBC News app to sign up for push alerts for CBC Newfoundland and Labrador. Sign up for our daily headlines newsletter here. Click here to visit our landing page.