A spokesperson for 3Com has said that the company will not be commenting further today in relation to reports of possible job losses at the company.
There is increasing speculation that up to 650 jobs will be lost at the operations plant at Blanchardstown in west Dublin.
The US multi-national, which has manufactured computer networking equipment at Blanchardstown in west Dublin since 1990, has been under pressure because of the global downturn in the information technology and communications sectors.
The Industrial Development Authority has confirmed that it met with 3Com executives yesterday, but that there was no indication at that meeting of an imminent decision on job losses.
Sources suggest that a core workforce of around 50 would be left at the Irish operation, mainly involved in research and development.
The Dublin plant which employed over 1000 workers at its height, is the company's last manufacturing site.
Work at other sites in Santa Clara, California, and in Singapore has already been outsourced to the Far East where costs are lower.
In May of last year, it closed a research and development site in Galway with the loss of 23 jobs.
Worldwide, 3Com has cut 6000 jobs in the last two years as part of a major global restructuring.
Meanwhile, the Dublin Chamber of Commerce has called for a pay freeze for all Irish workers.
The business organisation said the reported closure showed that the Government needed to review its entire job creation strategy.
It claimed a pay freeze would send out a signal to international investors that Ireland was still a competitive business location.
