Redundant two months

I was made redundant two months ago due to a downturn in work - I was a secretary with the same company for 19 years. Now I have been told that a secretary has given notice and another was asked did she have any friends looking for a job. They know I am looking for work and am in a bad situation. Can they re-employ somebody else now even though they made a redundancy.

Yes they can, it was your position which was made redundant. The other role will be a vacancy due to a person leaving. They can't employ a new person in your role but they can fill his or hers. I understand where you are coming from on a personal level it must be frustrating to hear that they are hiring. But you can't go back there after accepting redundancy either.

Wait!

Run that last bit by me again, why can't the OP go back to a completely different position?

(Asking out of a desire to increase knowledge)

She can. Once a month and a day has passed a person can return to work in the company they were made redundant from. Look at Aer Lingus for example - they were about to make all cabin crew redundant and take them back to the same roles on lesser terms until they saw sense.