Newspaper wants to exclude photographers credits

You know what?
The newspaper I work at today revealed that they want to exclude the credits (byline) under old (more than one year old) pictures in booth the paper and on the website. It also consern photographers that are on the sick-list and photographers that left the paper (due to pension, death or other work), They should not have there names under there pictures, my newspaper claims. The irony in this is that its journalists that has decided this. Strange I think.
Am I wrong?
Is this even legal I wonder? No, in Sweden it´s unlegal I think. Anyone?