The University of Ulster today honours the life and work of the late Inez McCormack, trade unionist and human rights activist, who died earlier this year.

The honorary degree of Doctor of Laws (LLD) awarded her in a private ceremony earlier this year during her final illness, will be received formally by her husband, Vincent.

The encomium to Inez McCormack will be delivered by Professor Denise McAlister, Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Teaching and Learning) at the University.

After the degrees have been conferred on the graduates, the ceremony will conclude with a speech by Vincent McCormack to the audience.

Inez McCormack was an internationally renowned and influential human rights and trade union activist, becoming in 1976 the first female organiser for the National Union of Public Employees, (NUPE) and later first female President of the Irish Congress of Trade Unions.

Born in Belfast, InezMcCormack was a pioneer of the civil rights movementfrom the 1960s. Her unrelenting campaign for equality changed the lives of countless disadvantaged individuals both within Northern Ireland and around the globe.

In recognition of her work as a trade unionist and equality activist, Inez was named by Newsweek in 2011 as one of the ‘150 Women who Shake the World’ alongside Michelle Obama and Hillary Clinton.

CAPTION:The University honours the life and work of the late Inez McCormack, trade unionist and human rights activist. The honorary degree of Doctor of Laws (LLD) awarded her in a private ceremony earlier this year during her final illness, was received formally by her husband, Vincent (Vinny). Pictured here are Vinny McCormack and daughter Anne Drummond.