Malaysian police arrested 44 Nepalese workers of manufacturer JCY International Bhd. after a riot led the company to shut down some of its operations in the southern state of Johor.

About 1,000 foreign workers were involved in the two-day unrest that began Aug. 25 following disagreements on issues including compensation, Mohad Idris Samsuri, a district police official, said by telephone today. There was a “fire incident” in the compound even as JCY’s factories and properties didn’t suffer any “major damages,” the company said.

“The company is still in the process of assessing the impact caused to the operation of the group due to the temporary shutdown of the operation located at Kulaijaya district,” JCY said in a statement today. “The company is currently taking active steps and measures to address” the matter and reach a settlement with workers, it said.

A protest took place at another JCY plant in Johor last week, where 1,500 workers objected against the company’s alleged negligence of the health of a worker who later died, the Star newspaper reported today. JCY’s operations include the production of hard-disk drive mechanical components.